BIG RAPIDS, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – The Electric Vehicle plant, Gotion, a Chinese linked company, has received mixed public support and is preparing to submit numerous requests to agencies in pursuit of environmental permits to advance the more than $2 billion project near Big Rapids.

Gotion Executive Charts Plan Forward:

According to company executive Chuck Thelen, vice president for North American operations, the company is preparing a “very comprehensive permit application” which should be completed by the end of March. Some of the outstanding local permits from Mecosta County as well as air and water quality permits from state and federal regulators according to Thelen.

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“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers also has a say in the process,” Thelen said according to Crain’s Grand Rapids, “So, based on the result of the permit process, as soon as that is done, we will break ground. I’m hoping, optimistically, that will be the end of the summer, but it could be early fall.”

Gotion has received several hundred resumes for open positions, according to Thelen.

“The goal is, by the end of the year, we’ll have 55 people working with Gotion in Big Rapids,” Thelen said.

He also expressed his optimism about the future of the plant given Gotion’s diversified portfolio.

“We’ve certainly seen the industry make decisions based on consumer demands,” he said to Crain’s Grand Rapids, adding that 40% of Gotion’s business is for energy storage. “We’re not just tied to the EV industry.”

Thelen also expressed his enthusiasm for the future of the project and a quick timeline.

“We’re very excited about creating 2,300 good-paying jobs in an area that desperately needs the financial influx,” Thelen said, according to Crain’s Grand Rapids. “I am laser-focused on making this project happen.”

Proponents of the Project:

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One of the main proponents, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) supports it for the jobs it anticipates bringing to the region.

“Moving forward, Gotion will be partnering with Ferris State University to assist with the talent recruitment and training the company will need to place 2,350 well-paying jobs in Mecosta County,” according to the MEDC. “The average hourly wage for the Gotion project is $29.42 which is well above county [Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed] (ALICE) target wage of $17.99.”

Governor Whitmer Gretchen Whitmer has eagerly pushed for Gotion, and other EV projects historically, though at the last State of the State address, she did not mention any plants facing scrutiny for possible national security concerns.

Local Resistance to the Project:

Last year, the Green Charter Township recalled all five of its board members who supported the project.

Former U.S. Ambassadors Pete Hoekstra and Joseph Cella, leaders of the Michigan – China Economic and Security Review Group – a group assessing threats from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – congratulated the townships on removing the members.

“This first in the nation referenda against elected officials providing taxpayer funding of a PRC-based and CCP-tied company, and the custom made ordinance for it, shows the public is ahead of the politicians on this,” the former ambassadors said in a statement.

Gotion avoided further scrutiny while the Ford BlueOval Battery Park plant, which has a contract with China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. LTD (CATL) technology for the purpose of its lithium-iron phosphate batteries for electric vehicles, was one of the projects mentioned in a letter to the Federal Government.

Under U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin), who chairs the select committee on China, and U.S. Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Washington), who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, the Commerce Department was asked to initiate export restrictions on the four Chinese companies involved in the BlueOval “facility’s design, construction, and information technology (IT) processes,” according to Reuters.

Gotion, among others, has been developed in part through the use of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as documented by Michigan News Source in “Behind the Shadowy Development of a Michigan Megasite Part Two,” making it difficult for the community to know further details about the projects.

Other EV Projects Slow Down:

Ford’s BlueOval Project experienced a pause in construction for two months before restarting the project but with a smaller workforce and energy capacity.

“We are pleased to confirm we are moving ahead with the Marshall project, consistent with the Ford+ plan for growth and value creation,” Ford announced in November. “However, we are right-sizing as we balance investment, growth, and profitability. The facility will now create more than 1,700 good-paying American jobs to produce a planned capacity of approximately 20 GWh.”

The Dearborn based motor company initially promised hundreds of more jobs and a 35 gigawatt-hour (GWh) capacity for the plant.