'Voltage valley' loses hope as EV revival deal turns sour

When Lordstown Motors, an electric vehicles (EV) manufacturer in Ohio’s Mahoning valley, declared bankruptcy last month, it was the latest blow to a region that has seen decades of extravagant promises fail to deliver.

- Tom Perkins

The 5,000 jobs executives vowed to create in 2020 generated fresh hope for the shuttered General Motors Lordstown plant, which was an economic engine for the area and a critical piece of the American industrial heartland.

Local leaders rebranded Mahoning valley “Voltage valley”, claiming the EV revolution would revive the region. Donald Trump, then president, trumpeted a major victory. “The area was devastated when General Motors moved out,” he said. “It’s incredible what’s happened in the area. It’s booming now. It’s absolutely booming.”

But Lordstown Motors’ failure and its decision to sue its major investor, the electronics giant Foxconn, over a soured investment partnership, have dented Voltage valley’s fortunes. Some residents have “saviour fatigue” after years of similar failures, and have largely given up hope that the Lordstown plant can ever be fully rebooted.