In recent months, Georgia has continued to attract a number of international investments in the electric mobility industry. In addition to the nearly $2.6 billion SK Innovation electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facilities in Jackson County, the state has seen Dutch e-mobility charging systems leader Heliox, Turkish EV-parts manufacturer TEKLAS, German-owned lightweight automotive-body parts manufacturer GEDIA, and SK-supplier EnChem of Korea set up base in the state.
Even Georgia-based Blue Bird Corp. in Fort Valley, announced in late June that it had reached the milestone of 500 electric powered school buses delivered or on order.
With these investments, and a new initiative by Gov. Brian Kemp, Georgia is positioned to lead the nation in the rapidly growing electric mobility industry. Earlier this week, Kemp announced the launch of the statewide initiative that involves the alliance of government and public and private partners that will work to develop policy recommendations to help the state attract electric mobility companies. Driven by the Georgia Department of Economic Development, the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance will include partners ranging from electric utilities and education to nonprofits and others.
“Georgia has a proven record of investing early in the resources and infrastructure needed to connect it to the world and develop jobs of the future,” said Kemp. “I appreciate these key stakeholders for joining this new partnership and look forward to the innovative solutions and strategies to come.”
According to Kemp, the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance will offer policy recommendations intended to further enhance the state’s attractiveness to the electric mobility industry and foster innovation in related fields, including drones, autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, battery technology, and more. Five EMIA committees will develop a multi-step approach that sets objectives for Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Workforce, Innovation, and Policy/Initiatives. The Carl Vinson Institute at the University of Georgia will host EMIA’s committee meetings and integrated research forums.
According to a recent report by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, automakers are planning to invest $250 billion in electrification by 2023, and IHS Markit predicts there will be 130 EV models available in the U.S. by 2026. As the center of the southeast automotive corridor with close proximity to the region’s automotive original equipment manufacturers, Georgia is positioned to capitalize on these trends to support the entire EV supply chain.
In conjunction with the initiative, GDEcD has launched new website assets at: georgia.org/mobility
