Manufacturing plant could bring ‘hundreds of jobs’
Robbinsville – Bison EV, a company that converts fuel-burning buses and trucks into electric vehicles, is moving a manufacturing facility into the old Stanley Furniture Company plant in Robbinsville – which could bring hundreds of jobs to the economically disadvantaged county, Robbinsville Mayor Shaun Adams announced.
“I’m happy to announce that Bison EV is starting the process of moving into the plant,” Adams said during the May 4 Board of Aldermen meeting. “I’ve been working on it for several weeks trying to get them in here.”
It could mean several hundred jobs and is “one of the best things to happen to this town in a long time,” Adams said.
Adams said it won’t happen overnight and the building will require a significant amount of work, as well as hiring and workforce training, before manufacturing can begin.
He said Bison EV will be leasing the building.
Fernando Mera, chief operations officer at Bison EV, was going through the facility last week in preparation for a visit from Bison EV Chairman and CEO Hank Venter on Monday. Company officials said they are not quite ready to make public statements about their plans but plan to once they are farther along, Adams said.
The Old Fort-based company converts gas and diesel-fueled vehicles into electric. Company officials met with state and local officials in April to discuss the old Stanley Furniture Company plant. The company estimates as many as 1,000 jobs could be created in Graham County, although local officials think the number may be overly optimistic.
Graham County commissioners and Robbinsville Mayor Shaun Adams sent letters in support of the project in April.
Graham County is a Tier 1 county, according to the N.C. Department of Commerce, meaning the county is among the state’s 40 most economically distressed.
“The success of your vision would create a much needed economic benefit for our Tier 1 North Carolina county,” commissioners said in their letter. “The Graham County Board of Commissioners is committed to do everything that we can possible do to promote economic growth.”
Mayor Adams went one step farther, suggesting that the town may be interested in buying a retrofitted vehicle from Bison EV if grant money is available to fund the purchase.
Bison EV
Bison EV describes itself as the first high-volume electric drive retrofit company in the world.
Company officials anticipate a growing market for its products, estimating a half-million diesel school buses that could stand to benefit.
A new electric school bus could cost around $300,000, compared to retrofitting a school bus at a cost of under $100,000.
The federal government has committed $5 billion to the purchase of electric school buses and there is no large-scale competition in the retrofit market.
The company claims that an electric school bus saves up to $170,000 in maintenance and fuel costs over a 10-year period with better reliability, less maintenance, quieter ride, and zero exhaust.
The company retrofits all sizes of buses and claims a range of around 120 miles per charge, depending on battery configuration and driving conditions.
It provides training for maintenance and drivers and a 10-year warranty.
According to its timeline, Bison EV is searching for a manufacturing facility and hoped to have one secured and work beginning by March, with its first products rolling off the line by May and full production of two vehicle models by the end of the year. It plans to have 12 vehicle models by the end of year five. It estimates first-year gross revenue of $332 million.
The facility is listed for sale at $4.7 million. It encompasses a 37.47-acre parcel with just over 588,000 square feet of contiguous building space. It was built in 1958 for lumber and furniture and zoned for commercial/industrial.