As the earth undergoes environmental changes, companies of all kinds are making efforts to nurture a healthier planet. While some are devoting attention toward environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, others have built their entire business around sustainability. In the latter category is California-based Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer that announced plans to expand its presence into Georgia with a new production plant.
Rivian is dedicated to facilitating the world’s transition to carbon-neutral energy and transportation. The D2C company designs, develops and builds electric pickup trucks and SUVs. It also has an electric delivery van in the works engineered specifically for Amazon, and Rivian plans to distribute these new vehicles to the e-commerce giant sometime this month, as reported by MSN.
The vans are currently in production alongside Rivian’s R1T truck in Illinois. In addition to erecting its new, carbon-conscious plant in Georgia, its Midwestern facility in Normal, Illinois, will undergo an expansion as well. Rivian got approval to build out this existing facility by 623,000 square feet, anticipating more warehouse, storage and production capacity onsite.
With a focus toward its future generation of products, Rivian’s second U.S. plant will be located 50 miles east of the Peach State Capital, spanning almost 2,000 acres across Morgan and Walton counties. Worth $5 billion, the plant will be able to turn out 400,000 vehicles a year once production begins in 2024. Construction on the new facility will start in 2022.
Several elements went into Rivian’s choice for its new campus. The company took things like logistics, environmental impact and renewable energy production into account. Another deciding factor was the availability and quality of talent in the area, according to Rivian. Evidently, the southeast continues to deliver tech talent as Rivian plans to create at least 7,500 local roles for its new location.
“We’re happy to partner with Georgia on our new manufacturing site, which will build our next generation of products that are important for scaling our business,” Helen Russell, Rivian’s CPO, said in a statement. “Our work together is driven by a compelling purpose and rooted in building a highly collaborative environment that creates a true sense of belonging. We’re excited for Georgians to bring their creativity and ideas to Rivian. We’re confident that, alongside Illinois, Georgia is the place for Rivian to continue to scale and thrive.”
With hefty hiring plans on the horizon, Rivian has currently hiring for several remote roles ranging from engineers and product specialists to managers and analysts.
