Electric Vehicle and Battery Makers Target $24 Billion for Southern US Plants

People test drive Dream Edition P and Dream Edition R electric vehicles at the Lucid Motors plant in Casa Grande, Ariz., on Sept. 28, 2021. Caitlin O'Hara/Reuters

The center of gravity for U.S. auto manufacturing is moving south, with electric vehicle and battery makers planning to spend nearly $24 billion in new factories from Arizona to Georgia.

Already announced are the following plants and investments:

Arizona

Startup Lucid Motors has just opened a $300 million assembly plant for electric vehicles in Casa Grande, halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. The company says future expansion plans could take total investment up to $1 billion.