OK: Electric Vehicle Maker Canoo to Move Into Oklahoma City, to Hire More Than 500 

Electric vehicle manufacturer Canoo is moving into the former Terex plant in Oklahoma City and expects to hire more than 500 people over the next few months. 

“One of the reasons we picked Oklahoma is because it has one of the most amazing workforces in America,” said Canoo Chairman and CEO Tony Aquila. “They have proven themselves across many industries, including aviation and aero defense.” 

Canoo just landed a deal with Walmart in which the mega retailer agreed to purchase at least 4,500 of Canoo’s electric vehicles for same-day delivery services. Canoo will also supply NASA with crew transportation vehicles on Artemis lunar exploration missions. 

Canoo’s Oklahoma City campus, which sits on 120 acres, includes a 500,000-square-foot building, a 12,000-square-foot training center and a 37,000-square-foot office space. Once complete, it will support a vehicle assembly line, state-of-the-art robotics, a body shop, paint shop and automated paint line.  

In a company news release, Canoo said the facility’s easy proximity to road, rail and waterways make it ideal for sophisticated supply chains and manufacturing.

Production is expected to start later this year. The company said the facility will produce up to 20,000 units by the end of 2024.

Canoo also has two major projects underway in Pryor. The MegaMicro Factory, a 400-acre campus at MidAmerica Industrial Park, includes a paint shop, body shop and general assembly plant. Canoo is also building a battery module manufacturing facility near the factory. The plants will employ more than 2,000 workers when fully operational.