A luxury electric sports car manufacturer has signed a letter of intent to build a 1.3-million –square-foot facility on the West Plains, and county and company officials say that space is just the beginning.
Fresh off of introducing its product at New York’s International Auto Show in April, California-based Mullen Technologies Inc. announced last week its plan to work with the West Plains-Airport Area Development Authority (PDA) to manufacture its new Qiantu K50 super-EV electric sportscar, bringing 55 jobs to the area immediately and 863 by 2026.
The company has also discussed the possibility of bringing research and development of their lithium batteries to Washington as well, which could create up to 3,000 jobs, PDA Executive Director Todd Coleman said.
According to Coleman, Mullen’s CEO David Michery has big plans for the area.
“When we talk 55 jobs to start and 863 by 2026, he says, ‘You’re thinking so small.’ — my understanding is that all of their operations will eventually be here,” Coleman said. “They’re thinking about someday having a 10,000-person campus.”
The official letter of intent requires the PDA to build the facilities and lease the site to Mullen Technologies. Coleman said the PDA is currently working to secure a temporary facility spanning more than 100,000 square feet for initial operations and car assembly. That space is necessary for the company to bring in the preliminary 55 jobs.
“We are looking forward to working with the West Plains PDA to bring strong wage-earning jobs to the Spokane region,” Michery said in a statement.
The permanent structure will be constructed in two phases. The first, a 500,000-square-foot space to accommodate Qiantu K50 production and battery research and development, will hopefully be up and running by 2021, while the second, an additional 800,000 square feet for battery commercialization, should be complete a few years later.
At the moment, the plan is for the PDA to lease property from Spokane International Airport to allow Mullen Technologies railroad access off of the Geiger spur.
Construction for the building will be financed using revenue bonds, Coleman said. The letter of intent removes much of the risk of such a large investment for the PDA, he said.
“They (Mullen) will also be taking out a charity bond so if they were not successful, that would pay for the residual,” Coleman said. “They’re also paying a development fee, so that takes almost all of the risk out of it.”
The PDA did research to decide if the electric sportscar will be a successful, viable product, Coleman said.
Several transportation projects are already underway in the region, including a new roundabout at State Route 902 and interchanges at Interstate 90. These projects will be complete before construction on the Mullen facility is finished, alleviating some of the traffic impacts — which will still need to be examined and addressed, Coleman said.
Coleman said the PDA hopes other large businesses will see successful companies investing in the West Plains and it will make “other people willing to take a look at it, too.” PDA officials also hope that some of the 100 engineers to be employed at the Mullen facility will be graduates from local colleges and universities.
“We’ve been really focused on a few things, and one of those is the innovation park concept around green energy and a circular economy,” Coleman said. “The other is advanced manufacturing and aerospace technology.”
The deal with Mullen Technologies has only been underway for the last two and a half months or so, though the company began looking for a large space at the end of 2018.
“They’re big thinkers,” Coleman said of Mullen leaders. “We like big thinkers as long as they can deliver.”
Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.
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