- Rivian applied for a federal loan to build its Georgia plant
- The loan application states Rivian will begin partial operations in Georgia in 2027
- Rivian intends to build the R2 and R3 electric SUVs in Georgia
Rivian has applied for a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) loan to fund construction of its Georgia factory, Reuters reports.
In a filing with the DOE, Rivian said it aimed to begin partial operations in the third quarter of 2027, and to have the first “production capacity block” fully operational in 2028. Located east of Atlanta, the factory is slated to become Rivian’s second, alongside its current Normal, Illinois, plant that was repurposed from a former Mitsubishi facility.
Rivian R2
Rivian announced the $5 billion Georgia factory in 2021, saying at the time that it would begin construction in 2022 with the goal of starting vehicle production by 2024. But Rivian has since paused construction as it works to rejigger its production capacity in Normal to accommodate the R2, a $45,000 electric SUV the automaker has said will start production in the first half of 2026.
When it announced this plan in May, Rivian said it was aiming to build 155,000 R2s at the Illinois plant annually. That’s more R2s in a year than Rivian has delivered cumulatively—including all models—since it began vehicle deliveries in fall 2021. Factoring in other models (consisting of the R1T pickup truck, R1S SUV, and EDV fleet delivery vehicle) Rivian expects the Normal plant to churn out 215,000 vehicles annually.
Rivian R3
This substantial increase in production capacity (Rivian reported making 57,232 vehicles at Normal in 2023) will be funded in part by an $827 million incentive package from the State of Illinois, Reuters reports. In 2022, Rivian secured $1.5 billion in state and local incentives for the Georgia factory.
Rivian also expects to save $2.25 billion and speed up the start of production by moving the R2 to Illinois, Reuters notes. That still leaves the R3 and R3X, which will launch at an undetermined date after the R2. Rivian would need another major expansion of the Normal plant to accommodate those models, meaning they could be shifted to the Georgia plant should Rivian receive its DOE loan and complete construction.
