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Pritzker and other state officials on Tuesday attended the
opening of an EV training academy at Heartland Community College
in Normal. Some of the funding for the new center came from a
$7.5 million taxpayer-supported capital grant, which is part of
Illinois’ $15 million manufacturing training academy investment.
Jason Horwitz, senior economic advisor with the Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, said the
academy will be key in achieving the state’s clean energy goals.
“The state’s investment in Heartland is part of a larger factory
training academy initiative to provide the cutting edge
facilities and equipment to prepare Illinoisans for the
manufacturing opportunities of today and tomorrow,” said Horwitz.
Rivian Automotive, with a plant in Normal, recently announced
they were laying off 10% of their workforce. Rivian also plans
to keep production this year flat compared to 2023.
Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk posted on X, formerly Twitter,
on Feb. 21 that based on Rivian's quarterly cash on hand, the
company could go bankrupt in around six quarters.
EV manufacturers, including Tesla and Ford, have been slashing
prices to pick up sales, and General Motors is talking about
bringing back plug-in hybrids, possibly taking a step back from
the company's earlier commitment to shifting straight to pure
EVs.
Despite reports that EVs are stacking up in dealership lots
because of sluggish sales, Pritzker said electric vehicles are
in high demand.
“There is going to be an ebb and flow like there always is in
the auto industry of demand for vehicles, but there’s high
demand that continues to be for electric vehicles in general,”
Pritzker said.
Industry experts cite a number of reasons for lackluster sales
of EVs, including vehicle price, lack of charging
infrastructure, and confusing tax credit rules.
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