South Korean automaker Hyundai has announced a second large supplier for its plant in Montgomery. The new factory will also provide components for the car company’s new electric car plant on the Georgia coast. Officials say Hyundai Mobis plans to invest nearly $1 billion dollars in a new facility in Bryan County that could employ around 1,500 workers. The plant in Richmond Hill will make powertrains for Hyundai's electric vehicles manufactured at its new plant scheduled to open in 2025 west of Savannah. It will also make components for a Kia plant in West Point and another Hyundai plant in Montgomery, Alabama.
Mercedes Benz unveied its new electric SUV built in Alabama back in April. This move comes as State leaders are working to electrify how residents get from here to there. Hyundai and the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition are joining together to create Drive Electric Alabama. The initiative is working to educate Alabamians about the benefits of electric vehicles. Michael Staley is the President of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. He says the Yellowhammer State has lagged behind others in its use of electric vehicles.
“The availability of charging for travel is on the rise,” said Staley. “In fact, over the next 5 years, $79 million will be invested in Alabama from the federal government alone to install chargers at business locations.”
Mercedes-Benz unveiled its new electric SUV, the EQS in what’s billed as a livestream effort on YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. The EQS is being built at the European automakers North American plant in Tuscaloosa County. The batteries for the new vehicles are being manufactured in nearby Bibb County. Staley says the new vehicles won’t work without the new recharging stations.
“If we do not have charging infrastructure, they will go around Alabama to other places where they can charge,” Staley insists. “We want to make sure that Alabama is ready to attract drivers looking to charge their cars during long distance travel because those drivers spend money and that supports our communities.”
Twenty-percent of cars sold in the United States are predicted to be electric vehicles by 2030.
