- rivian, the startup ev maker, has revealed that its second plant will be located in morgan and walton counties in georgia, east of atlanta.
- the new factory will create 7500 jobs and be able to assemble 400,000 vehicles per year when fully operational, the company said.
- the plant will cost $5 billion to build, with construction slated to begin next summer and the site opening in 2024.
back in july, electric startup rivian began plotting the construction of a second factory, with rumors of a $5 billion initial investment and a colossal 10,000-acre plot, possibly in arizona. since then, rivian has started production on its r1t pickup truck and debuted on the stock market, achieving the largest ipo for an american company since facebook's. now, the ascendent automaker has announced that it will start building its second factory in the summer of 2022 in georgia, just east of atlanta.
rivian says that the "carbon-conscious campus" will employ more than 7500 people when fully operational. the site won’t be even close to the 10,000 acres previously reported, but the still sizable plot will measure nearly 2000 acres with "abundant natural space." rivian also says it will form community engagement and workforce training programs for the region. there are also plans for a series of town hall events in the area in 2022 to interact with the surrounding community.
rivian will spend $5 billion to create the plant, which will be capable of churning out up to 400,000 vehicles per year. production is supposed to start at the new georgia factory in 2024. rivian is also upgrading its original plant in normal, illinois, recently getting approval for a 623,000-square-foot expansion. this brings the normal factory to a total of 4 million square feet, or almost 92 acres. rivian will hire 800 to 1000 employees at the normal plant by the second quarter of next year as the company continues its rapid growth.