He envisions a future in which thousands of employees will churn out hundreds of thousands of vehicles a year, just like GM used to do.

"The Ohio state motto is 'With God, all things are possible.' And we think we're going to do the impossible here," Burns said last week as he gave a tour of the plant to reporters and local elected officials.

In addition to Lordstown Motors, GM last year announced a partnership with LG Chem to build a battery cell assembly plant down the road from the Lordstown plant. The partnership hopes to employ 1,100 people by 2023, producing the batteries GM needs for its future electric vehicles.

Burns sees the beginnings of the Mahoning Valley's conversion to a "Voltage Valley" focused on electric vehicles.

"We don't want to just be a product," Burns said. "We want to be a movement."

People who care about the region say they very much want to believe in Burns' bullish vision. But he faces sizable obstacles. His company is a small startup competing with auto giants like GM and Ford, and he's yet to announce the major funding or partnership deals that have boosted some of his competitors.

"They are going to have to have some luck come their way," said Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill, who was among the elected officials who attended last week's tour. "But they do have a good team that they've put together."

Dan Crouse, a local industrial real estate agent, notes that the region is strategically located along a major railroad line and between Interstates 80 and 76, the Ohio and Pennsylvania turnpikes. He believes it's well positioned to adapt to the latest changes, just like it adapted in the past.

"Transitions like this have gone on forever," Crouse said. "We went from horses and buggies to cars. We went from coal to natural gas inside of houses. All of these things changed the way people live."

He's hopeful that local leaders can ensure that the changes are beneficial to the region. But others are more cautious.

"We're a little leery of the whole thing," said Mindy Moyers, a teacher at Lordstown Elementary School who stayed back with her children when her husband transferred last year to a GM job in Lansing, Michigan.

Even if Burns can pull it off, most in the area suspect that the wages and benefits won't rival what people made at GM.

The new battery cell plant will pay good wages, GM spokesman Dan Flores said, but they won't be anything like the $90,000 that the average hourly unionized GM worker made last year in wages and profit-sharing.

And for people who transferred to other GM plants, coming home to take an electric vehicle job would mean leaving union retirement benefits on the table, which most aren't willing to do.

"It ripped my heart out when I had to leave," said Jim Moyers, Mindy's husband, who is sharing a one-bedroom apartment with a friend who also transferred from Lordstown to Lansing. He works 50-hour weeks, then exhaustedly makes the four-hour drive to return to his family on Friday nights.

"I miss sleeping in my bed, holding my wife. Holding my kids. Hugging my family," he said.

He's missed an awards ceremony for his son's track team. He missed seeing his daughter dance during halftime at a local college basketball game.

He's not willing to give up his GM job yet, but that could change, Mindy Moyers said. "He's so miserable. He might rather make less money but be home."

'It's been really rough'

The electric vehicle startups aren't the only companies promising jobs in the Mahoning Valley.

TJX Companies, the discount retailer that operates TJ Maxx and Marshalls, is building a massive distribution center just across the road from the Lordstown plant. Other new businesses have opened, as well.

At Ross' Eatery & Pub, Ross said he's considering changes to the menu, such as more vegetarian items, to accommodate the visitors from around the world who are interested in electric vehicles.

"I'm cautiously optimistic that Voltage Valley is going to be a thing," Ross said.