Georgia and the electric vehicle, or EV, industry has had a promising last couple of years.
The end of 2021 saw Rivian commit two years and some $5 billion to planting a battery factory east of Atlanta. In May, Hyundai Motor Group announced its own plans for two manufacturing facilities in Bryan County, Ga., one for electric vehicles and one for their batteries, costs also totaling over $5 billion.
In January, SK Battery America put up $2.9 billion for its EV battery plant that opened in Commerce, Ga., which is currently hiring, according to its website.
“We’re an equidistant location to so many of the [original equipment manufacturers] doing EV,” said Augusta Economic Development president Cal Wray about Augusta’s place in Georgia’s burgeoning electric automotive corridor.
German copper producer Aurubis is investing more than $300 million in its copper smelting plant that began construction in Augusta Corporate Park in June. Denkai of America aims to spend more than $400 million on its nearby copper foil facility. Both projects have ballpark dates for when their initial phases will be operational in the year 2024.
Wray notes that this sits Augusta along an emerging industrial infrastructure that includes Spartanburg, S.C., where the OshKosh Defense facility is under contract to build a fleet of electric vehicles for U.S. Postal Service; and Randolph County, N.C., where Toyota is building a $1.29 billion battery factory for electric and hybrid vehicles, set to open in 2025.
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“There’s multiple battery projects out there,” Wray said. “Depending on where the other batteries are located, it opens up the battery side. But it also opens up the EV component side. So I think it’s both opportunities for us.”
The development authorities of both Augusta and Columbia County claim they have been fielding interest from industry candidates looking to set up shop in the CSRA.
“Let’s be clear, it’s not just EV anymore; it’s all automotive related,” said Robbie Bennett of the Columbia County Development Authority.
Bennett notes that while he could not disclose which industry parties have expressed interest in the county, he does not expect the influx of attention to slow down.
“They’re exploring where they can be competitive,” he said. “It allows us the opportunity to look at that as a potential target industry as we move forward.”
If more factories and more development deals with EV manufacturers—whether auto builders or equipment-makers—are on the horizon for Augusta and the surrounding areas, the next step would be securing real estate to make room. Wray says, in the case of Richmond County, most of that development would push toward south Augusta.
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“It’s where the majority of the water and sewer infrastructure is, it’s where a lot of our workforce is located, it’s where our manufacturing base is,” he said. “People are accustomed to manufacturers.”
Wray also notes, however, that the Corporate Park is almost full, and the Development Authority is looking at about 15 sites, evaluating the potential location of the next White Oak Business Park or Sage Mill East.
“There’s quite a few on the market privately held,” he said. “But do we undertake the next large industrial park? Do we look at large mega sites?”
Both Wray and Bennett mention that because of how the region is positioned, companies are scouting McDuffie, Aiken and Burke counties alongside Richmond and Columbia.
Citing similiar EV development initiatives in neighboring states such as Tennessee and Alabama, Wray is convinced that Georgia’s many manufacturing advances along the corridor, Augusta’s population and workforce, and Georgia’s rollout of EV infrastructure—spearheaded by the state’s Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance—will all ultimately converge to benefit Augusta.
“We will play a prime role in how EV accepted and how EV continues to grow,” he said.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
