Rivian’s Multi-Billion-Dollar Georgia Factory Is Back On After Groundbreaking

Rivian broke ground on its second factory today in Georgia but it won’t start building vehicles for a few more years.

The Social Circle project was originally supposed to be operational in 2026, but electric vehicle market conditions led the American automaker to push the project.

Major construction will now begin next year on the first phase that’s scheduled to be complete and producing vehicles in 2028 with a second phase slated for 2030, at which point the plant will have the capacity to assemble 400,000 vehicles annually.

Rivian delivered 51,579 vehicles in 2024 and is projecting between 40,000 and 46,000 for 2025, but the Georgia plant will build the new higher volume, lower cost R2 and R3 models.

Read Also: THE RIVIAN R1S HAS A BUILT-IN TRAFFIC COP

Rivian currently plans to start R2 production at its existing factory in Normal, Ill., before shifting it to Georgia.

The new facility is being built with the help of a $6.6 billion loan from the Department of Energy that was finalized in the late days of the Biden administration and remains on track to be delivered in full.

Rivian also cut a deal last year with Volkswagen to provide the German automaker with software that could end up being worth a total of $5 billion.

“We are cementing Rivian’s future at our Georgia plant, helping ensure America maintains its technology leadership and excellence in automobile manufacturing,” Rivian Founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said in a news releaase. “Our Georgia facility will support our global expansion and provide the scale necessary to get millions of future drivers in our incredible all-electric vehicles, both in the United States and overseas.”