Tennessee still ranks in the top four in EV production with an important disclaimer
More than a third of the jobs are tied to Ford's BlueOval City and BlueOval SK development.
The Tennessee Lookout, an online newspaper based in Nashville, reports that the Volunteer State remains among the nation’s top four states for the highest number of anticipated electric vehicle manufacturing jobs despite slowing industry investments, disappearing tax incentives, and federal policy uncertainty.
That’s according to the sixth annual report from Atlas Public Policy for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy titled “Transportation Electrification in the Southeast.” While Tennessee held onto its title as runner-up for the most anticipated electric vehicle manufacturing jobs in the southeast region, with 16,262 anticipated jobs compared to top-ranking Georgia’s 26,428, there is also a major, still unknown factor.
“Tennessee’s place in the rankings is largely due to 5,800 jobs promised by Ford Motor Company and SK On’s BlueOval City and BlueOval SK, an electric vehicle and battery manufacturing plant in rural West Tennessee,” Cassandra Stephenson writes in her article. “In return for the $5.6 billion project, Tennessee offered a $900 million incentive package. While battery production at the new plant is moving forward, mass production of Ford’s next-generation electric pickup truck is now delayed until 2028 due to the company’s shift in focus to smaller, more affordable electric models.”
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