Georgia launches electric mobility initiative

The alliance of government and public and private partners will develop policy recommendations to help the state attract electric mobility companies.

Georgia-based Blue Bird Corp. announced in late June that it had reached the milestone of 500 electric powered school buses delivered or on order.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has launched a statewide initiative to strengthen the state’s electric mobility industry.

The Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance is teaming with public and private partners, ranging from electric utilities and education to nonprofits and others, to expand Georgia’s growing e-mobility ecosystem.

“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 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.”

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The alliance and its partners will offer policy recommendations to enhance the state’s attractiveness to the electric mobility industry and related fields, including drones, autonomous vehicles, connected vehicles, battery technology and more. The EMIA will develop objectives for supply chain, infrastructure, workforce, innovation and policy/initiatives.

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 that there will be 130 EV models available in the U.S. by 2026.

Georgia plans to build on its recent successes. Recently, SK Innovation has invested $2.6 billion in its electric vehicle battery manufacturing facilities in Jackson County. Others who have invested in Georgia are e-mobility charging system leader Heliox, Turkish EV-parts manufacturer TEKLAS, and German-owned lightweight automotive-body parts manufacturer GEDIA. School bus manufacturer Blue Bird, which has two locations in Fort Valley, Georgia, in June announced that it had delivered or had on order 500 all-electric buses.

“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,” said Pat Wilson, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

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