Tulsa Company Sees Potential For Growth In Electric Vehicle Industry In Oklahoma

One week after California-based Canoo announced they would be building an electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Oklahoma, others in the EV industry are excited for the future of the industry. 

"Canoo is one of the leaders in this transformation that is going on in the vehicle market," said David Jankowsky, the CEO of Francis Energy.

Francis Energy is a Tulsa-based company that produces electric vehicle superchargers. Since 2015, Jankowsky’s company has been installing those chargers across Oklahoma and now expanding to 25 states.

"Nobody in any community is going to buy an electric vehicle if there are not public places to charge those vehicles,” said Jankowsky. “And that's quite simply the concept of range anxiety."

Jankowsky said Francis is trying to eliminate that anxiety and said Oklahoma is now the first state in the country with a supercharger every 50 miles.

He said this infrastructure is a big reason companies like Canoo find the state appealing.

"We are the first state with the infrastructure,” said Jankowsky. “We are also blessed with low electricity rates that other states do not enjoy, we have low real property values. We have an exceptional workforce of engineers."

Jankowsky believes other electric vehicle companies could soon follow Canoo to Oklahoma, which he says in turn means more jobs.

Canoo hopes to start production on their vehicles in Oklahoma by 2023.