Georgia has stepped into next-generation EV production as it inks deals with Rivian and Hyundai Motor Group.
All in, the new factories will deliver more than $10 billion in auto industry investment and more than 15,000 assembly jobs.
California-based EV upstart Rivian announced plans for a $5 billion factory near Atlanta. The project will bring 7,500 jobs to the state.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp noted Georgia attracted Rivian with $1.5 billion in state and local incentives.
In mid-May, Hyundai Motor Group announced plans to locate its first dedicated EV factory 30 miles northwest of Savannah. This $5.54 billion project will deliver 8,100 production jobs and an additional $1 billion investment by suppliers.
Kemp said at an event announcing the Hyundai deal in May that “no one can doubt that Georgia is ... the unrivaled leader in the nation's emerging electric mobility industry.”
Bert Brantley, the Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff, noted Georgia’s top economic development priority is the mobility industry, particularly the automotive sector.
The state has laid the groundwork to attract auto manufacturing.
Kemp established the Georgia Electric Mobility Innovation in 2021 in a move to recruit EV makers. The public-private initiative aims to develop charging infrastructure, work force programs, supply chains and innovation.
Georgia also has assembled and prepared ready-to-build industrial properties to help automaker prospects build factories faster. These efforts helped lure Hyundai's EV plant to southeast Georgia.
The State of Georgia and the Savannah Harbor-Interstate 16 Corridor Joint Development Authority purchased and developed a 2,923-acre Bryan County mega site in 2021. The wooded property sits 40 minutes away from the Port of Savannah giving ready access to supplies coming from overseas.
Officials predict the Hyundai project will bring in more supplier and carmaker investments to the region.
The two companies approached site selection very differently. Rivian came with a set of parameters but adjusted their search parameters to consider different ideas and options. The startup also hopes to drive electric vehicle adoption in the state and grow the EV ecosystem.
Hyundai took a more analytical and numbers driven approach. Georgia was one of four states on the Korean automaker’s shortlist. Hyundai Motor Co. CEO Jaehoon Chang also visited multiple times with Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung and met with Kemp before signing off on the deal.
