Rivian is expanding rapidly and already has plans for a second plant in the US, where the company plans to produce vehicles, electric motors and lithium batteries. The investment in this case would be in the order of US$5 billion.
However, Rivian — highly capitalized — wants to go further and is planning the first factory outside the US. At first it should be in the UK, but it is known that Germany and the Netherlands also want to take it.
According to the Automotive News website, the Rivian will already be in an advanced stage in England and the city of Bristol will be given priority to take over the production facility, whose investment will reach US$1.4 billion.
Boris Johnson’s office is said to be highly committed to handling the Rivian factory and a large state aid package is planned to halt the flight of investment from the company to the European continent.
The Bristol region is seen as ideal for Rivian due to the gravity technology sector, but the UK Department of Energy, Strategy and Business did not comment on the startup’s actions.
In a statement, he said: “While we are working to attract foreign investment into the UK to accelerate the development of new industries, we cannot comment on speculation about individual investment.”
Either way, Rivian won’t be too bad in the UK, as the country is keen to electrify faster than many EU countries.
Seeking to satisfy investors and expand sales elsewhere in Europe to fill the company’s cash with profitable sales, Rivian shouldn’t waste time.
However, Germany is an important country in any electrification strategy in Europe. However, the construction of the Tesla factory in the country, due to several delays and controversies, may scare Rivian, even if its image is quite different from that of Elon Musk.
[Fonte: Auto News]
