President Biden Praises Tritium EV Charger Factory Plans

• Australian EV charger company Tritium plans Lebanon, Tennessee, manufacturing facility capable of producing up to 30,000 chargers a year.

• Founded in 2001, Tritium makes multiple EV chargers, include DC fast-chargers, used by EV station builders and operators.

• President Joe Biden spoke in support of Tritium's plans at White House event highlighting US-based manufacturing of high-tech hardware.

EV charger manufacturer Tritium this week revealed Lebanon, Tennessee, as the site of its upcoming US plant that will have the potential to build about 30,000 chargers per year on up to six production lines.

The announcement by the Australian company was timed to coincide with a White House event on EV infrastructure this week with President Joe Biden issuing praise for Tritium, which says it expects to add 500 jobs to the Lebanon, Tenn., area over a five-year period.

The planned facility is slated to produce RTM and the new PKM150 DC fast-chargers, which the company notes will comply with Buy America Act provisions under the Federal Highway Administration mandates for US-made products. The company says production is expected to start later this year, in the third quarter, and also expects to expand its European production footprint as well, having seen substantial gains in demand from US station operators.

"The new manufacturing facility Tritium is—that it’s announced today—is more than just great news for Tennessee," the President noted at the White House event that hosted Tritum CEO Jane Hunter. "Yes, it’s going to create more than 500 good-paying jobs in Tennessee, but it’s going to deliver greater dignity and a little more breathing room to workers and their families. And it’s going to have a ripple effect beyond—and far beyond—one state."

"This is great news for workers across the country, for an economy, and, frankly, for the planet."

Tritium was founded in 2001, before EVs were widely available, and produces chargers installed by EV station builders and operators. Tritium chargers were recently seen in a showcase EV charging station built by Shell in London featuring a customer-friendly layout mirroring a gas station along with solar panels mounted on canopies for a little extra power.

"We have 600,000 federal vehicles that we—the federal government—owns. They’re going to all end up being electric vehicles," the President added during the event. "That’s what it means to finally make Buy in America a reality and not an empty promise."

Also at the White House, the President acknowledged Tesla as the leading EV maker in the country after months of accusations by Tesla fans, as well as CEO Elon Musk, of the administration's avoidance of the automaker or even mere mentions of its name. That purported avoidance has mostly been attributed to the White House's pro-union stance.

During his remarks the President finally mentioned Tesla.

"Since 2021, companies have announced investments totaling more than $200 billion in domestic manufacturing here in America, from iconic companies like GM and Ford building out new electric vehicle production; to Tesla, our nation’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer; to innovative younger companies like Rivian, building electric trucks, or Proterra, building electric buses, which I saw at a virtual tour last year when I met with the CEO virtually. And they really impressed me," the President said.