Electric vehicle maker Rivian is planning to open what it is calling its East Coast headquarters in Atlanta as it prepares to start construction early next year on a manufacturing facility about 45 miles east of Georgia’s largest city.
Rivian agreed to lease an undisclosed amount of space at Junction Krog District in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, according to a news release from the carmaker. Rivian expects to occupy the top floor and lobby of the 135,000-square-foot building and staff the office with 100 employees by the end of this year and up to 500 workers when fully occupied. Junction Krog District is located directly on the Beltline, a 22-mile walking path that circles downtown Atlanta.
Rivian announced plans in 2021 to build a $5 billion factory in Social Circle, Georgia, to make electric-powered pickup trucks, SUVs and delivery vans. Construction on the Georgia plant has been stalled by legal challenges from local residents and production difficulties at Rivian’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois.
In early January, before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. Department of Energy and Rivian finalized a loan of up to $6.6 billion for construction of the Georgia plant.
Trump has threatened to cancel programs developed during the Biden administration that provided grants and loans for EV manufacturing and sustainable energy. The recently approved federal budget removes tax credits for the purchase of EVs and residential solar panels, according to media reports.
"We continue to work with [the Department of Energy] and the administration to bring back American manufacturing jobs and secure the country’s leadership in this strategically important industry," Peebles Squire, a spokesman for Irvine, California-based Rivian, said in response to a question about the loan's status under the Trump administration.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Initial construction work on Rivian’s 2 million-square-foot Georgia plant has included expanding detention ponds, improving stormwater management and preparing for utilities and heavy equipment installation, Squire said. Vertical construction is expected to start in January with vehicle production launching in 2028. Clayco is the project’s general contractor.
The Junction Krog District office in Atlanta where Rivian leased space was developed by Portman Holdings and opened in 2023. Rivian already has two vehicle showrooms in the Atlanta area at Ponce City Market and 2820 Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta.