Closed EV Plants Can Hollow Out A Town Faster Than You Think

Closed EV Plants Can Hollow Out A Town Faster Than You Think

From In Wheel Time Podcast: Your Go-To Automotive Talk Show by In Wheel Time Podcast | Automotive talk with Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, and Jeff Dziekan

April 14, 2026 · 32 min · Season 2026 · Episode 72

About this episode

The episode discusses the rapid economic decline a town can face following the closure of an EV factory, featuring insights from expert Sunderesh Heragu.

A giant EV factory can feel like a town’s future on opening day and like a crater on closing day. We sit down with Sunderesh Heragu, professor at Oklahoma State University and President of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, to unpack what really happens when EV manufacturing plants, battery factories, or assembly projects get paused midstream. We talk about why EV production is built differently than internal combustion, and why that difference can make a restart or a quick re...

People in this episode

Hosts: Don Armstrong, Michael Marrs, Jeff Dziekan

Guest: Sunderesh Heragu

Topics covered

  • EV manufacturing
  • economic impact
  • factory closures
  • sustainability
  • industrial engineering

Keywords

  • EV plants
  • economic impact
  • factory closure
  • battery factories
  • industrial systems

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Oklahoma State University, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

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