May was yet another good month for Georgia’s Economic Development team, especially those focused on solidifying Georgia as the capital of the battery belt. Georgia’s leadership position in the electric vehicle supply chain was enhanced by Anovion Technologies locating in Bainbridge. They plan to create 400 new jobs as the result of an $800 Million investment to produce components for EV batteries.
That kind of news would be big for any area of the state. In the deepest parts of Southwest Georgia, it has the potential to be transformational.
Meanwhile, at the Savannah area Hyundai complex that will build new EV’s beginning about 18 months from now, a partner has been announced for their on-site battery manufacturer. LG will be Hyundai’s joint venture partner in the battery plant, representing $4.3 billion in investment and represent 3,000 of the 8,100 employees expected in Bryan County.
Hyundai also has a joint venture with SK On to build a $5 Billion battery plant in Bartow County. SK Battery America has a separate plant in Jackson County Georgia that builds EV batteries, currently suppling Ford and Volkswagen.
The supply chain infrastructure is clearly falling into place. The current infrastructure to charge these future vehicles remains woefully inadequate.
Auto manufactures are aware of this issue, as are the policy makers that are incentivizing a transition to EV’s. They just don’t like to talk about it. They like to quote stats of total charging plugs available, but most are the slowest Level 1 and Level 2 chargers, and are concentrated in urban areas.
Americans outside of big cities rely heavily on their cars for longer trips, and road trips are part of the automobile’s allure – even for those who rarely take them. Finding the fastest Level 3 chargers in sufficient numbers to provide motorists the confidence to take a long drive is a real barrier to EV adoption at the moment.
The federal government is working to…
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