Shyft Group has announced plans to invest $16 million in expanding its engineering and manufacturing capabilities in Charlotte, Michigan. The investment will go towards the production of the company’s Blue Arc EV Solutions line of electric commercial vehicles, which will include Class 3, 4, and 5 vehicles. The facility, located about 20 miles southwest of Lansing, is expected to have a capacity of 3,000 EVs per year and will begin production by mid 2023.
In addition to the new electric vehicle line, the Charlotte facility already produces several Shyft product lines, such as delivery vans and chassis for motorhomes and work trucks. The expansion is expected to create new engineering, manufacturing, and technical jobs, with the company projecting the hiring of 200 new employees. The Charlotte location currently employs around 900 people, a significant increase from just a couple of years ago, and the company has a total of 1,225 employees across the state.
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The expansion project includes renovations to Plant 4 and Plant 7 and is expected to bring new economic opportunities to the Charlotte area. A Shyft spokesperson confirmed the company’s commitment to growth and its focus on creating sustainable, environmentally-friendly solutions for the commercial vehicle market.
“We’re extremely proud to invest in EV production here in our home state of Michigan where our company has been headquartered for nearly 50 years,” Shyft Group President and CEO Daryl Adams said in a statement. “We are thankful to be part of the Charlotte community and look forward to bringing the future of fleets to our operations there.”
Shyft Group, formerly known as Spartan Motors Inc., has undergone a significant transformation. The company, once headquartered in Charlotte, sold off its emergency response vehicle line in 2020 and rebranded to Shyft. The move was part of an effort to attract talent from southeast Michigan, as the administrative operations were relocated to Novi.
Recently, Shyft received an investment following the preorder of 2,000 units of Blue Arc’s line of walk-in delivery vans. These vans, available in sizes ranging from 12 feet to 22 feet, boast a range of 150 miles and are targeted towards last-mile delivery fleets.
The expansion of Shyft is supported by various entities, including the city of Charlotte, Lansing Economic Area Partnership (LEAP), and the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The latter is providing an $800,000 performance-based grant through the Jobs Ready Michigan Program.
