Mullen Automotive to build EV battery packs at California facility

Mullen Automotive has announced it is preparing to build its own electric vehicle battery packs at its Monrovia, California manufacturing plant. The EV startup will be renovating its research and development facility there, which the now-defunct CODA Automotive previously used to produce its first electric sedan.

The battery packs built at the Monrovia plant will be utilized in Mullen Automotive’s entire lineup, which includes its FIVE EV Crossover, ONE EV Cargo Van, and DragonFLY EV Sportscar. 

Mullen Automotive’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman David Michery said that having the automaker produce battery packs in-house “makes sense as it reduces [Mullen’s] reliance on third-party suppliers and lessens [its] risk of being subjected to the waves of supply and critical component shortages.” He said the company would be “better off” if it had more control over the ongoing supply chain issues and parts shortages. 

While many new EV companies have the challenge of building facilities that can accommodate EV technologies, Michery added that the facility in Monrovia is “already established for high voltage applications, so retrofitting it for our battery pack development makes good sense for our company and shareholders.” 

Mullen Automotive has entered into notable partnerships such as those with Comau and DA Systems and also recently said it has more than $65 million in cash for “continued momentum and programs development.” The automaker is taking reservations on its website for its Mullen FIVE electric crossover, and full-scale production of the vehicle expects to start at its facility in Tunica, Mississippi, in late 2023.

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