When electric school bus manufacturer Lion Electric opened its sprawling 900,000 square-foot factory in Joliet last year, Gov. JB Pritzker and both Illinois senators attended the ceremony. The facility — the first new vehicle assembly plant to open in metropolitan Chicago since 1965 — was hailed as a source of good jobs and a step forward into a carbon-free future.

Lion Electric, which manufactures electric buses, will suspend its operations at its Channahon facility , the company announced in a press release Tuesday.

Electric bus maker Lion Electric is suspending operations at its facility southwest of Chicago. The Lion Electric Joliet plant is located at 3835 Youngs Rd. in Channahon. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and other state leaders cut the ribbon on the facility back in July 2023.

Canadian electric bus manufacturing company Lion Electric has laid off its workforce at its Joliet plant and suspended operations. Gov. JB Pritzker attended the opening of the 900,000 square-foot facility,

Mach Capital, the investment arm of Canadian real estate developer Groupe Mach Inc., is in discussions to provide more funding to cash-strapped electric bus manufacturer Lion Electric Co., according to a person familiar with the matter.