Rivian breaks ground on long-awaited Georgia EV plant

Caption

Gov. Brian Kemp (center) scoops dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the 2,000-acre Rivian electric vehicle factory in Social Circle, Ga., on Sept. 16, 2025.

Credit: Amanda Andrews / GPB News

State leaders gathered for the groundbreaking of the 2000-acre Rivian electric vehicle factory, east of Atlanta. Speakers at the ceremony included Gov. Brian Kemp, Newton County officials, and Rivian founder RJ Scaringe. 

When it’s completed, the facility will employ 7,500 people to build electric vehicles. The $5 billion project was announced in December 2021 and was the largest economic investment in state history at the time. 

Jerry Silvio is chairman of the Joint Development Authority of Jasper, Morgan, Newton and Walton Counties.  He said this factory will improve the quality of life across all four counties. 

“The Rivian Project embodies the vision the JDA set forth 25 years ago, that being, creating high-tech, good-paying jobs that stay in our communities,” Silvio said. 

The facility will produce Rivian’s R2 and R3 models. The R2 will have a starting price of around $45,000 and the R3 is expected to be lower than that. 

Scaringe said they’re looking for local sources for car parts to keep prices down. 

"We've been working closely with the state in a number of cases to bring those suppliers either here to the state of Georgia or to work with new suppliers that are based in the state of Georgia,” he said. 

The first vehicles built in this factory are expected to be available in 2028. 

Kemp discusses future of migrant labor in Georgia 

The groundbreaking was one of Kemp’s first public appearances since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid at a Bryan County Hyundai site resulted in the arrest of nearly 500 people. 

The raid brought up questions about the treatment of migrant workers in the days following. But Kemp said he does not expect the ICE raid to deter companies from locating in Georgia. 

He said that he has had conversations with the White House about the need for visas for immigrant workers and he is hopeful for a solution. 

“It's not a problem that was just for Hyundai," Kemp told reporters after the Rivian event. "I mean, really, a lot of companies across the country have dealt with that issue and that's really one of the things that Donald Trump ran on when he ran for president was cutting red tape, trying to be more efficient and I think this is one of those times where you know something good will come out of this in the end."  

Kemp has expressed support for immigration officials in previous comments on the raid. 

Many of the workers taken into ICE custody were South Korean, and the South Korean government has expressed concern over the operation. ICE says the workers came to the U.S. illegally or overstayed short-term work visas, but lawyers for some workers say they were lawfully present.