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Lion Electric Secures Investor Deal to Exit Bankruptcy

Quebec consortium's acquisition, backed by renewed subsidies, shifts focus to electric school buses as company prepares to go private.

The Lion Electric Company's lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Mirabel, Que., Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

Overview

  • A consortium led by Pierre Wilkie and Vincent Chiara has reached a definitive agreement to acquire and recapitalize Lion Electric, pending court approval.
  • The deal, supported by a $480 million provincial subsidy program for electric school buses, ensures the company can continue operations in Quebec.
  • Lion Electric will cease to be publicly traded, likely wiping out retail shareholders under the terms of the reverse vesting recapitalization plan.
  • The agreement preserves the St-Jérôme manufacturing plant but includes permanent layoffs and a strategic refocus on Quebec-made electric school buses.
  • Quebec's renewed subsidy program increases rebates to $240,000 per electric bus and aims to electrify 65% of the province's school bus fleet by 2030.