Georgia Ramps up Electrification Supply Chain

Georgia seems to be on an aggressive trajectory to advance a full electric vehicle (EV) supply chain, with a fair amount of activity in the past year alone.

Ascend Elements recently launched an EV battery recycling plant in the Peach State, near the time that a couple of EV and vehicle battery manufacturers announced they will locate there.

Among the latest big news is that Korean-based SungEel HiTech is preparing to set up in Georgia too.  The global lithium-ion battery recycling and raw material provider will invest $37 million in a new battery recycling plant under its subsidiary, SungEel Recycling Park Georgia.

Georgia state officials and SungEel declined interviews, but Waste360 has aggregated several articles and documents reporting on the venture, and on other activity to advance the state’s EV infrastructure.

Georgia reports it has had more than 30 “EV-related” projects bring in about $13.3 billion in investments since 2020. The state is home to about 23 e-mobility companies’ operations and has more than 1,200 miles of federally designated EV-ready alternative fuel corridors along its interstates and highways, according to Georgia Department of Economic Development’s (GDEcD) website.

There are plans for expansion, leveraging $135 million in funding that Georgia expects to receive through the Biden Administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

As one of the newest partners, SungEel will recycle end-of-life batteries and battery manufacturing scrap, including nickel, cobalt, and lithium, utilizing a process that reportedly has a greater-than 95 percent metal recovery rate.

The plant, to be located at the Hayestone Brady Business Park in Toccoa, GA, is projected to generate 104 jobs. It is certified under the “Georgia Ready for Accelerated Development” (GRAD) program, meaning it has been vetted and approved for fast-track development. The operation’s slated launch date is 2024.

Suk Jae Yim, representative of SungEel Recycling Park Georgia, touts SungEel’s entry into the state as “The last piece of the puzzle to build a sustainable ecosystem of Georgia’s electric vehicle supply chain."

 GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson stated he believes that the proximity of the global company’s new plant to other members of Georgia’s electric mobility ecosystem will be key to further success.

Among many operations already working to advance electrification in the region are school bus manufacturer Blue Bird who rolled out an all-electric bus in 2018; EV parts manufacturer, Solvay that makes thermoplastic composites; and YKK USA that makes fasteners for EV interiors.

More regional developments in the electrification space are in the works.  

Hyundai Motor Group reportedly plans to break ground on an EV and battery manufacturing facility in Georgia in January 2023, and to operate at full capacity (about 300,000 units) no later than mid-2025.

EV manufacturer Rivian has sited a plant outside of Atlanta, which reportedly will begin production in 2024 and have an annual capacity of 400,000 vehicles.

Driving a lot of the activity are incentives and policies intended to jump start adoption, including an electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) tax credit for businesses to buy and install infrastructure if it is available to the public. Rebates for installing Level 2 chargers. And a “plug-in electric vehicle charging” rate incentive for residents to encourage nighttime and very early-morning EV charging.

A lot of the growth is attributed to interest from companies that, like SungEel, are based in Korea, and have set up shop in the region, such as Enchem, Duckyang, and EcoPro BM. Each of the three either manufactures technology around batteries and energy storage systems or supplies materials like nickel cathode.

Much of the activity, whether involving Korean companies or businesses that are based elsewhere, is spurred by SK Battery’s expansion into Georgia. Now in operation while the build out continues, the SK Battery America’s $2.6 billion facility will eventually be able to produce enough gigawatt hours a year to power 430,000 vehicles, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“We selected Georgia primarily because of the growing electric vehicle and battery ecosystem in the state. Proximity to partners like SK Battery America is essential in the sustainable battery materials industry,” says Roger Lin, Ascend’s vice president of Marketing and Government Relations. The Massachusetts-based company’s new Georgia plant is the largest of its kind in North America and can recycle 30,000 tons of lithium-ion battery materials and scrap a year, according to Ascend.

State officials anticipate an ongoing accelerated growth pattern.  Among efforts to continue bolstering activity, Governor Brian Kemp launched the Electric Mobility and Innovation Alliance (EMIA) in 2021, a statewide initiative between the public and private sector and nonprofits, working to further scale electrification in Georgia.