Electric Vehicle maker Proterra is building a facility in South Carolina to make EV batteries.
Proterra says it will build the facility at the Carolina Commerce Center in Greer, South Carolina, which is about 90 miles southwest of Charlotte.
The company said in a statement that battery systems will be made for electric vehicles used for commercial industries such as delivery and work trucks, industrial equipment and buses.
Proterra will invest $76 million into the plant and create more than 200 new jobs. Operations are expected to begin in the latter half of 2022. The company has been making electric buses in Greenville, South Carolina, since 2010.
“Electric vehicle technology is an opportunity to create clean energy jobs, strengthen American manufacturing and advance the U.S.’s climate leadership on a global scale,” Proterra President Gareth Joyce said. “With our company’s history in South Carolina and the Upstate region, we are excited to build on our strong partnership with the state of South Carolina, Spartanburg County and the City of Greer and bring EV battery system manufacturing to the region.”
Proterra’s announcement comes a week after news from Toyota that it’s building a $1.3 billion battery plant in North Carolina, south of Greensboro, and that British bus maker Arrival is bringing a battery assembly plant to Charlotte. This is on top of the 39 EV-related companies that have either opened or planned to open facilities in North Carolina, according to the Environmental Defense Fund.
California, Michigan and Texas are national leaders in EV businesses.
