MEMPHIS, Tenn.– Mullen Automotive is scheduled to start producing commercial electric vehicles next year in Tunica County, Mississippi, bringing hundreds of jobs to the region.
The company will be producing the vehicles at a newly acquired property in Indiana and produce electric commercial cargo vehicles at its facility in Tunica County, formerly home to Green Tech Automotive.
Green Tech closed operations in 2017 after filing for bankruptcy. Mullen plans to hire as many as 500 workers when production and expansion take place.
The Tunica site already has the perfect footprint for Mullen’s advanced manufacturing engineering center and is turn-key.
“Meaning, right now we’re at a 120 plus thousand square feet. We have the capacity to build up to a couple of million square feet there with a lot of room around us to grow even bigger,” said Jason Putnam, Mullen Automotive’s Vice President of Marketing.
Mullen Automotive was in Memphis Thursday showing off one of its electric vehicles — the Mullen Five Crossover. The event labeled a “test drive tour” gave the public a chance to experience the car’s performance and learn more about the company.
Robert and Jennifer Brown traveled all the way from Little Rock to experience the ride.
“It was a very smooth ride. I enjoyed the feel of the car in the inside. It had a lot of pick-up to it, a lot of power in it,” Robert said.
“And will help accelerate our change from a love affair with all thing petrol and get us changed over to electric, so that’s my hope,” Jennifer said.
The vehicle will have a base price of $55,000 when it goes into production in late 2024. The state-of-the-art vehicle has enhanced security technology.
“To where when you walk up to the car it will recognize your face and it will open up the doors for you,” said Trey Agner with Mullen Automotive.
We’re told Mullen Automotive is still looking at manufacturing sites in Memphis but has not settled on a specific property. The company was unable to reach terms with the owner of the former Nike facility.
