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 percent 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 U.S. 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 totals 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
