Rivian officially gets green light for its EV factory in Georgia

The US carmaker received final approval from the relevant authorities for the construction of its plant in the US state of Georgia. It has now leased a site around 40 miles east of Atlanta for a period of 50 years for the plant announced in 2021.

It is Rivian’s second plant in the US and will be able to produce 200,000 electric vehicles per year in an initial expansion phase, which should be completed next year. An expansion to 400,000 electric vehicles per year will be completed by 2030. At the new factory in Georgia, Rivian will build vehicles based on its new R2 platform, which is aimed at the mass market. The platform’s design will be unveiled next year.

Rivian currently operates a plant in Normal in the US state of Illinois. The electric car startup currently produces the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV there, as well as the Electric Delivery Van (EDV) for Amazon on a separate line.

When the plant was first announced in 2021, the manufacturer agreed to invest 5 billion dollars in the new plant and create some 7,500 jobs. Initially, both targets had to be met by 2028 under an agreement with the US state of Georgia, which will, in turn, provide 1.5 billion dollars in subsidies. According to US media, the deal was extended to 2030 earlier this year.

Just a few days ago, Rivian reported on its progress at the Georgia site. The groundbreaking ceremony will take place early next year, with the first vehicles coming off the production line in 2024 as well. Initially, the groundbreaking ceremony was scheduled for 2022.

The US electric car manufacturer is likely to increasingly speculate on third-party orders for its electric transporters. Earlier this month it scrapped its existing exclusivity clause with Amazon. Both sides are keeping quiet about the details. However, Amazon states that the opening was planned anyway.

fox5atlanta.com, wsbtv.com, i20jda.com (PDF)