Electric truck maker Rivian appears to pass on Fort Worth
While the official announcement isn’t expected until Thursday, Bloomberg and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution are both reporting that Amazon-backed electric truck maker Rivian will choose Georgia as the future site of its new battery factory and truck assembly plant.
According to the AJC, the plant is expected to produce 200,000 vehicles per year and employ 8,000 people.
While details of the potential incentive package remain unknown, Georgia offered 283 acres of land valued at $18.76 million for free to Korean electric car battery maker SK Innovation in 2019.
Fort Worth and Tempe, Arizona, were seen as the top two contenders for the plant; however, Fort Worth City Council member Cary Moon said Georgia most likely gave the company a better deal.
“Fort Worth offered a very lucrative economic incentive package for both the business and the taxpayer,” Moon said. He added the city is still competitive when it comes to “mobility innovation” and that it will attract other companies.
Representatives for the city declined to comment ahead of Rivian’s official announcement.
The City Council approved a $440 million incentive package in August to try to lure Rivian to a 2,000-acre property just east of the Interstate 20/I-30 split near Aledo.
It would have been south of the master-planned Walsh community, which the city expects will add 50,000 residents to Fort Worth.
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