EV manufacturer Canoo signed a long-term lease agreement with an affiliate of AFV Partners for its new vehicle manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City earlier this month.

Under the agreement, Canoo will initially occupy around 500,000 square feet of an existing site, with room to expand on more than 120 acres, according to a news release. 

The site will be retooled to make Canoo’s passenger and delivery vehicles as it targets producing up to 20,000 EVs yearly by the end of 2023. The facility will include a full vehicle assembly line with robotics, a paint shop and a center to customize existing vehicles. 

The EV maker plans to transfer its equipment to the site during the first half of this year and start production in the second half. 

Canoo expects to employ over 500 people at first, with plans to scale its workforce in the coming months. 

“One of the reasons we picked Oklahoma is because it has one of the most amazing workforces in America,” Chairman and CEO Tony Aquila said in a statement. “They have proven themselves across many industries, including aviation and aero defense.”