Rivian ( RIVN ) is getting closer to restarting construction on its $5 billion EV plant in Georgia after pausing it months ago. The company recently took a major step by applying for a federal loan to get its second factory back on track.
After unveiling its small, affordable R2 car in March, Rivian said it would begin building it in Normal, IL, rather than its new Georgia plant as planned.
According to CEO RJ Scaringe, the move will save Rivian more than $2 billion while getting R2 to market faster. Despite this, Rivian has repeatedly stressed that it remains committed to the project as it ramps up production.
Rivian is expected to start building the R2 models in the first half of 2026, followed by the more affordable R3 and R3X. According to a new filing with the US Department of Energy, Rivian plans to build vehicles in Georgia in the near future.
The filing means that Rivian's upcoming Georgia EV plant will start operating in Q3 2027, but is not expected to be fully operational until 2028.
Rivian is restarting construction of the Georgia EV plant soon
Rivian is expected to break ground in Georgia in the second quarter of 2026. By Q3 2026, the first store should be ready, according to the filing. The final store will be ready in Q2 2027, and production models are expected to go on sale in Q4 2028.
Funding the project will bring 400,000 EVs to market, “thereby reducing national emissions of air pollutants and human-caused GHGs,” it reads. Despite this, the DOE has yet to make a final decision.
Rivian's Georgia EV plant is the state's second-largest development project after Hyundai's $7.6 billion plant that began production last week.
The 1,744-acre site, 40 miles east of Atlanta, has 44 parcels of land. It will have two production blocks, each with a capacity of up to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Rivian's filing comes after the company lowered its full-year production guidance following Friday's Q3 delivery. The company now expects to build between 47,000 and 49,000 vehicles by 2024, down from its previous target of 57,000.
Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, DOE
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