Here’s why sustainability innovators are planting roots in Arizona
Arizona has increasingly become home to a cluster of industries that can only be described as world-changing.
They are sectors that drive “sustainability,” and include electric and zero-emission vehicle manufacturing, next-generation battery technology, solar and other clean energy production, biodegradable materials, freshwater science, agritech, and more.
From its 1-million-square-foot factory in Coolidge, Arizona, Nikola Motors celebrated a watershed moment last month: the production launch of its first fully-electric semis.
The gleaming, white and black Tre BEV semi-trucks rolling off production lines are headed to customers across the United States, adding 645 horsepower to the slogan, “Made in Arizona.”
Speaking at the event, CEO Mark Russell said, “What Nikola is about is trucks, but more than trucks. Nikola is about energy and making a system that is sustainable in the future — that can go on forever.”
Additional electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers in the state include Lucid, ElectraMeccanica, Atlis Motors, and Zero Electric Vehicles.
Arizona’s EV-makers will soon benefit from the nearby operations of large-scale battery producers KORE Power, which is building a 1-million-square-foot manufacturing facility in Buckeye, and LG Energy Solution, which recently announced a $1.4 billion initial investment to make a cylindrical-type battery factory in Queen Queek. Each plant will support thousands of jobs.
In early May, Li-Cycle celebrated the grand opening of a new battery recycling plant in Gilbert. Li-Cycle’s proprietary technology boasts an industry-leading recovery rate of up to 95% resource mass recovery through a zero-waste, environmentally-friendly process.
Similarly, battery innovator and 2021 Arizona Innovation Challenge awardee Ampcera is commercializing solid-state battery materials for electric vehicles and consumer electronics from its Tucson facility.
