Sources: Rivian to build $5B electric truck plant in Georgia

IMAGE DISTRIBUTED FOR RIVIAN AUTOMOTIVE, LLC – Rivian R1T all-electric truck in Times Square on listing day, on Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 in New York. Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive will announce Thursday, Dec. 15, that it’s building a $5 billion battery and assembly plant east of Atlanta that’s projected to employ 7,500 workers, sources briefed on the decision told The Associated Press.

Ann-Sophie Fjello-Jensen/AP Images for Rivian Automotive, LLC

Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive will announce Thursday that it’s building a $5 billion battery and assembly plant east of Atlanta that’s projected to employ 7,500 workers, sources briefed on the decision told The Associated Press.

Rivian, based in Irvine, California, is a startup manufacturer of electric trucks and commercial delivery vans, challenging both established automakers like Ford and General Motors and electric vehicle leader Tesla.

The plant could grow to as many as 10,000 workers, sources said, which would make it among the largest auto assembly complexes in the United States, rivaled by behemoths such as the 11,000-worker BMW complex in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Ford Motor Co.’s 8,600-worker plant in Louisville, Kentucky.