American electric automaker Rivian has officially selected a construction partner for its upcoming $5 billion electric vehicle production plant in Georgia on Tuesday, December 19.
Real estate and construction firm Clayco announced the newly formed partnership in a press release, revealing that it secured the contract to develop a “state-of-the-art EV manufacturing plant” at Stanton Springs.
“It is an honor to partner with Rivian, a visionary leader in the electric vehicle industry. At Clayco, we align with customers whose missions reach far beyond the walls of their facilities. We are proud to play our part in building a future that will help Rivian’ keep the world adventurous forever,’ while also creating a workplace and community that will thrive for years to come.”
Anthony Johnson, President of Clayco’s Industrial Business Unit
About the factory
As EV-a2z previously reported, Rivian will develop its upcoming Georgia factory near the I-20 corridor to Atlanta’s east. The location covers 1800 acres, marking Rivian’s second local production facility after the Illinois plant that currently produces the R1 EVs.
The total investment from the automaker is $5 billion for the development, including the new access road construction.
In addition, it is expected to open about 7,500 direct job opportunities and another 8,000 indirect jobs for locals.
“We have an ambitious goal to develop an eco-conscious facility that illustrates our mission of keeping the world adventurous forever. With Clayco’s dedication to developing innovative ideas and solutions, we are confident they are the right partner to ensure the Rivian plant is a shining example of sustainable manufacturing.”
Tony Sanger, Vice President of Facilities at Rivian
Inaugural models to undergo production in Georgia
Rivian aims to produce its next line of electric vehicles, called “R2,” at the new Georgia factory.
It expects to commence the initial production of the new R2 models as early as 2026, with an annual production target of about 400,000 EVs.
Meanwhile, Pantagraph reported that the American automaker plans to begin the vertical construction at the upcoming factory early next year.
Rivian also tapped Jacobs as the megaproject’s engineer of record and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) as the design architect.
Rivian’s continuous efforts
Rivian’s progress has been impeded by various challenges, such as high-interest rates and supply chain issues over the past two years. Nonetheless, it continues to assure investors that it is working through these issues to achieve profitability by the end of 2023.
In the third quarter of the year, its electric vehicle production reached 16,304 units in the Illinois factory. Of that total, 15,564 units were delivered to customers. As per the press release, these results align with Rivian’s forecast of 52,000 units of annual production.
Therefore, the imminent launch of Rivian’s second US factory will undoubtedly further improve its sales and delivery performance in the coming years. It will also enable its new R2 EVs to benefit from the US federal tax credits of up to $7,500 under the Inflation Reduction Act.
