Sources: Rivian to build $5B electric truck plant in Georgia

Sources briefed on the decision say electric truck maker Rivian Automotive will announce Thursday that it’s building a $5 billion battery and assembly plant east of Atlanta projected to employ 7,500 workers

ATLANTA -- Electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive will announce Thursday that it's building a $5 billion battery and assembly plant east of Atlanta that's projected to employ 7,500 workers, sources briefed on the decision told The Associated Press.

Rivian, based in Irvine, California, is a startup manufacturer of electric trucks and commercial delivery vans, challenging both established automakers like Ford and General Motors and electric vehicle leader Tesla.

The plant could grow to as many as 10,000 workers, sources said, which would make it among the largest auto assembly complexes in the United States, rivaled by behemoths such as the 11,000-worker BMW complex in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Ford Motor Co.’s 8,600-worker plant in Louisville, Kentucky.

Rivian will be the largest industrial announcement in Georgia history, surpassing the 4,400-worker Kia complex that opened in West Point in 2009. Georgia has had a number of failed auto plant recruitments. Rivian will give Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp another point to bolster his claims that he has been an excellent steward of Georgia's economy, even as faces Republican and Democratic challengers when he runs for reelection next year.