It is a beachhead! Electric vehicle projects announced in the South are everywhere!
By Michael Randle
President Joe Biden’s chief economic advisor met with Nashville community leaders last quarter to tout federal investments in electric-vehicle and battery manufacturing and technology.
Cecilia Rouse, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, said the combined impact of Biden economic initiatives since 2021 spurred $15 billion in private investment across Tennessee. “Tennessee’s a great example of the president’s economic plan in action – attract private investment and create regional industrial hubs, including in Tennessee, for high-wage, high growth industries of the future,” Rouse said. “In 2021, Tennessee’s overall economy grew 9% in real terms − the fastest rate in four decades. In the first three quarters of 2022, Tennessee’s GDP grew more than 2 percentage points faster than that of the US economy as a whole.” – The Tennessean
But it is not just Tennessee that has seen monumental gains from the next generation electric vehicle industry. Almost every state in the South – specifically its rural regions — has seen the same gains – some more than others — since the end of 2020. In fact, our tally of electric vehicle and EV-related projects total more than $286 billion (that’s with a “B”) since January 1, 2021.
Let’s take a broad look at what this new industry has created in jobs and where in the South to date they have been announced. Of course, these are announcements and about 38 percent of the projects have actually begun hiring as of the spring quarter of 2023. Yet several, including both Ford EV projects in Kentucky and Tennessee, are well under construction, including some suppliers to those two massive facilities.
Spring 2023
| Ascend Elements | 100 jobs | Covington, Ga. | Lithium-ion recycling |
| Microvast | 562 jobs | Hopkinsville, Ky. | EV parts |
| 6K Energy | 230 jobs | Jackson, Tenn. | EV battery materials |
| Rivian | 218 jobs | Bullitt County, Ky. | EV parts |
Winter 2023
| Toyota Boshoku | 157 jobs | Hopkinsville, Ky. | EV parts |
| Albemarle | 300 jobs | Chester County, S.C. | EV parts |
| Cirba Solutions | 300 jobs | Richland County, S.C. | EV parts |
| Microvast | 290 jobs | Clarksville, Tenn. | EV batteries |
| PHA | 400 jobs | Chatham County, Ga. | EV parts |
| Seoyon E-HWA | 740 jobs | Chatham County, Ga. | EV parts |
| Samkee | 170 jobs | Tuskegee, Ala. | EV parts |
Fall 2022
| Hyundai Mobis | 400 jobs | Montgomery, Ala. | EV battery parts |
| Hyundai and SK | 3,500 jobs | Bartow County, Ga. | EV batteries |
| Hyundai Mobis | 1,500 jobs | Bryan County, Ga. | EV parts |
| FREYR Battery | 723 jobs | Coweta County, Ga. | EV batteries |
| Joon Georgia | 630 jobs | Bulloch County, Ga. | EV parts |
| Canoo | 500 jobs | Oklahoma City, Okla. | Electric vehicles |
Summer 2022
| Toyota | 1,500 jobs | Randolph County, N.C. | EV batteries |
| Mercedes- Benz | 1,000 jobs | Tuscaloosa County, Ala. | Electric vehicles |
| Ascend Elements | 400 jobs | Hopkinsville, Ky. | EV parts |
| Bosch | 350 jobs | Anderson, S.C. | EV fuel cells |
| Nippon Denkai | 100 jobs | Augusta, Ga. | EV parts |
Spring 2022
| Hyundai | 8,100 jobs | Bryan County, Ga. | Electric vehicles |
| Envision AESC | 2,000 jobs | Bowling Green, Ky. | EV batteries |
| Hyundai | 300 jobs | Montgomery, Ala. | Electric vehicles |
Winter 2022
| Vinfast | 7,500 jobs | Chatham County, N.C. | Electric vehicles |
| GreenPower Motor | 900 jobs | Charleston, W.Va. | Electric buses |
| Envirotech | 800 jobs | Osceola, Ark. | Electric trucks |
| Aspen Aerogels | 250 jobs | Bulloch County, Ga. | EV parts |
| Alkegen | 250 jobs | Irving, Texas | EV parts |
| Proterra | 200 jobs | Spartanburg, S.C. | Electric buses |
| Arrival | 150 jobs | Charlotte, N.C. | EV parts |
Fall 2021
| Ford and SK | 6,000 jobs | Stanton, Tenn. | Electric vehicles and batteries |
| Ford and SK | 5,000 jobs | Glendale, Ky. | EV batteries |
| Mercedes-Benz | 600 jobs | Tuscaloosa County, Ala. | Electric vehicles |
| Rivian | 7,500 jobs | Morgan, Walton Counties, Ga. | Electric vehicles and batteries |
| GM and Ultium Cells | 1,300 jobs | Spring Hill, Tenn. | Electric vehicles and batteries |
| NOVONIX | 300 jobs | Chattanooga, Tenn. | EV batteries |
| Canoo | 1,000 jobs | Pryor, Okla. | EV battery parts |
| Oshkosh Defense | 1,000 jobs | Spartanburg, S.C. | Electric vehicles |
| Volvo | N/A | Berkeley County, S.C. | Electric vehicles |
Spring 2021
| Duckyang | 285 jobs | Braselton, Ga. | EV parts |
| Mullen Technologies | 400 jobs | Memphis, Tenn. | EV parts |
Winter 2021
| Tesla | 5,000 jobs | Austin, Texas | Electric vehicles |
| Hitachi Automotive | 200 jobs | Berea, Ky. | EV parts |
| Microvast | 287 jobs | Clarksville, Tenn. | EV batteries |
