SPOKANE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The West Plains Airport Area Public Development Authority (PDA) and Mullen Technologies, Inc. of Brea, California, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the construction of 1.3 million square feet of assembly, manufacturing, and research & development facilities in the West Plains.
Mullen Technologies is working with the PDA to bring the development of its Qiantu (pronounced as chee-AHN-too) K50 pure electric high-performance sports car to the Spokane region with approximately 55 jobs at startup, projected to increase up to 863 jobs by 2026. The company, through Mullen Energy, has expressed further interest in bringing its research and development functions related to lithium batteries for its autos and other uses which would increase the projected job count to nearly 3,000.
David Michery, CEO and Chairman of the Board for Mullen Technologies, states: “We are looking forward to working with the West Plains Airport Area Public Development Authority (PDA), to bring strong wage-earning jobs to the Spokane region. PDA and Mullen are working very closely as we introduce the Qiantu K50 all electric sports car to the U.S. market, along with emerging battery cell technology. The PDA will provide us with the land and a revenue bond to go vertical, which will allow Mullen to develop a green energy campus with the quality of life that will help us in the recruitment of world class engineers.” Mullen Technologies, Inc. unveiled its new pure electric high-performance sports car at the International Auto Show in New York last week, drawing significant attention.
Chair of the PDA and CEO of Spokane International Airport Larry Krauter stated: “We are very excited about the LOI with Mullen. This demonstrates the value proposition of the PDA and how it multiplies the ability of the City, County and Airport to deliver job creation results that benefit our regional economy by using our infrastructure and available land assets. This is exactly the role that our community leaders envisioned for the PDA and the LOI with Mullen is another example of our efforts to deliver on that vision.”
County Commissioner and PDA Vice Chairman Al French stated: “The structure of the PDA allows us to construct and lease back facilities like this so we, as a region, can compete with the rest of the state and the world for good paying jobs. Projects like this will put Spokane on the map as the hub for innovation, advanced manufacturing and aerospace industries.”
Spokane City Council President and PDA Treasurer Ben Stuckart stated: “This shows that the strong partnership between the City, County and Airport gets results. Spokane will only continue to get big wins for the region when we collaborate.”
The launch of the Qiantu K50 is anticipated in the USA in 2020 and is a partnership with Qiantu Motors. The pure electric high-performance sports car is capable of 0-60 mph in 4.2 seconds, 125 mph maximum speed (electronically limited) and a range of approximately 250 miles. With the innovation Mullen Energy has underway, the lithium batteries powering the sports car would be 30% lighter and would significantly increase the overall range of the vehicle.
Under the term of the LOI, the PDA would construct the facilities including site improvements, rail access and up to 1.3 million square feet of combined office and manufacturing space and lease the facilities to Mullen. The PDA is currently working with Mullen to secure an interim facility of approximately 100,000 sf for their immediate use on the battery research and development, production and initial assembly of the sports car.
“We appreciate the proactive support of regional partners like Startup Spokane and local businessman Terry Dunne who shared the advantages of the Spokane region with Mullen,” stated Krauter.
About West Plains Airport Area Public Development Authority: The PDA was created by joint agreements of the City of Spokane, Spokane County and the Spokane International Airport for the purpose of growing economic prosperity in the Spokane Region. The PDA was recently an integral partner in the successful recruitment of the Amazon Fulfilment center. Other recent announcements include the construction of a North 40 Outfitters retail store, Marriott Springhill Suites, Sleep Inn, Kenworth Truck Sales, Bush Car Wash and several food establishments. Significant public investment is also underway in the PDA including the reconstruction of both Medical Lake and Geiger Interchanges with I-90 and the complete reconstruction of Geiger Boulevard along with utility infrastructure.