EV model planned for Ohio production

The Great Lakes region has scored another potential victory in its quest to become the center of electric vehicle (EV) production in the United States with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to build an EV crossover vehicle in Lordstown, Ohio.

Los Angeles-based INDI EV Inc. and Taiwan-based Hon Hai Technology Group, also known as Foxconn, announced the signing of an MOU they say will “pave the way for Foxconn Ohio to manufacture the first INDI One prototype vehicles.”

The planned assembly will take place at Foxconn’s Lordstown facility and could lead to “future potential agreements,” the two companies say.

The Lordstown facility was a longtime assembly plant for General Motors before being idled in 2019.

An entity called Lordstown Motors Corp. announced plans to build EVs at the plant shortly thereafter. About one year ago, the company reached an agreement with Foxconn saying the two companies “will use commercially reasonable best efforts to negotiate a definitive agreement [in] which Foxconn would purchase the Lordstown facility, excluding Lordstown Motors’ hub motor assembly line, battery module and packing line assets, certain intellectual property rights and other excluded assets, for $230 million.”

Regarding the new announcement, INDI EV founder and CEO Shi Hai says, “Partnering with Foxconn, the world’s leader in consumer electronics, during this exciting time in their entry into electric vehicles means that INDI One drivers will lead the way into the future of personal transit.”

“Our MOU with INDI EV marks the beginning of many more discussions to come regarding the future of EV manufacturing in Ohio," Foxconn Chief Product Officer Jerry Hsiao says. "Throughout this process, Foxconn is confident in its Ohio workforce to manufacture quality prototypes that will help INDI EV achieve future success.”

Carscoops.com says INDI EV was formed by Steve Orsario and Steven Offutt, two former Faraday Future executives. That California company has struggled to achieve mass production of EVs, and Carscoops also describes the INDI One as a $45,000 EV crossover model.

Several days before the Foxconn-INDI EV announcement, Lordstown Motors Corp. announced it had started commercial production of its Endurance pickup truck at the same manufacturing complex. “We will continue to build at a slow rate as we address remaining part pedigree and part availability issues,” Lordstown Motors CEO and President Edward Hightower said in late September. “We expect to increase the speed of production into November and December.”