Today, Governor Brian Kemp announced a statewide initiative to strengthen Georgia’s position as a national leader in the electric mobility industry.
Driven by the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD), the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance (EMIA) includes partners from the private and public sectors ranging from government, industry, electric utilities, education, nonprofits, and other stakeholders, focused on advancing Georgia’s role in developing the electric mobility industry and its supply chain. In conjunction with the initiative, GDEcD has launched new website assets at: georgia.org/mobility.
“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 Governor Kemp. “The Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance will ensure that our state is positioned to continue leading the nation in the rapidly growing electric mobility industry. I appreciate these key stakeholders for joining this new partnership and look forward to the innovative solutions and strategies to come.”
In addition to the nearly $2.6 billion SK Innovation electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing facilities in Jackson County, in recent months, Georgia has continued to attract numerous other international investments. These include 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. In 2018, Georgia Made school bus manufacturer Blue Bird introduced their all-electric buses, and the company recently reported its 500th delivery or sale of electric buses.
Building on existing assets, 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. The 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 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.
Expanding on Georgia’s growing e-mobility ecosystem, the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance will give Georgia a greater, more comprehensive strategy for the wave of electrification we are seeing across industry sectors,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “By bringing together industry leaders and our public and private sector partners, we are proactively developing a roadmap that will keep Georgia at the forefront of electric mobility and innovation.”
