OHIO — Gov. Mike DeWine and Ford Motor Company announced Tuesday an investment of $1.5 billion into the Avon Lake Ford plant to create a new commercial electric vehicle. 

The move will create 1,800 jobs, DeWine said.

“The ingenuity and talent of Ohio’s automotive workforce are second to none, and Ford’s investment in Avon Lake will play an essential role in growing the EV space,” said DeWine in a statement. “Ford has been a partner in Ohio for generations, and its confidence in the Ford Ohio Assembly Plant operations secures EV operations in Lorain County that will be critical for decades to come.”  

Besides building the new commercial EV, the expanded facility will also continue to produce Ford’s E-series van, medium duty trucks and Super Duty chassis cabs. 

Ford also announced an additional $100 million investment into the Lima Engine Plant and the Sharonville Transmission Plant, as well as the creation of 90 more jobs between the two.

Ford plans to begin construction to expand the Avon Lake facility later this year, whereas assembly for the EV will begin in a few years. 

“Ohio is one of the world’s great automotive hubs and a key manufacturing state that has been central to Ford since we first opened Ohio Assembly Plant in 1958,” said Kumar Galhotra, the president of Ford Blue. 

The Ford Motor Company, DeWine-Husted Administration, the Ohio Department of Development, the City of Avon Lake, Lorain County, state and local elected officials and Ohio’s Congressional delegation all collaborated with JobsOhio to bring the project to Avon Lake.

“The Avon Lake facility represents the automotive heritage of Ohio and our world-class labor workforce and also our shared commitment with Ford to advancing innovation as we transition—together—to the EV space for future production,” J.P. Nauseef, JobsOhio president and CEO, wrote in a statement.

To support the expansion of the Ford Ohio Assembly Plant in Avon Lake, the Ohio Tax Credit Authority will consider a tax credit at a future meeting, and JobsOhio also plans to provide grant assistance.

Ford has over 7,000 employees in the state, with plants in Lima, Avon Lake, Sharonville and Brook Park.