Atlanta

State economist says Georgia set to become next Silicon Valley thanks to investment in EV technology

ATLANTA — Georgia is set to benefit from a recent announcement in California. Lawmakers there want to mandate that only electric vehicles can be sold in the state by 2035.

Georgia has almost cornered the market when it comes to EV technology.

The state has a massive battery plant, two EV vehicle plants coming online, and a battery recycling plant as well.

Georgia’s lead economist told Channel 2′s Dave Huddleston that the state is in the right place at the right time.

“It definitely is a positive for Georgia’s economy,” said economist and UGA professor Jeffrey Dorfman.

That’s a positive for our economy because Georgia’s heavy investment in electric vehicle technology.

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“Georgia has recently gotten commitments from two companies to build large EV plants here: Rivian with their truck plant and Hyundai that’s going to build an EV car here,” Dorfman said.

There’s already a massive EV battery plant in Commerce, Georgia, that’ll hire about 3,000 workers.

Another plant will build charging stations and another will recycle EV batteries.

“As we become almost like Silicon Valley, tech companies go there because there’s a lot of workers that know how to do that. Well, Georgia has a lot of workers that know how to work in the EV industry now,” Dorfman said.

Dorfman told Huddleston even if California doesn’t reach its goal, 16 other states are calling for similar legislation that sets Georgia up for a real economic boom.

“Georgia is in the right place with the right infrastructure with the right knowledge to benefit from this. We’re going to be one of the leaders. I think that is becoming more and more clear,” Dorfman said.

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