$100M Autonomous Vehicle Factory Coming to Jacksonville, Florida

New autonomous vehicle manufacturer Holon is to invest $100 million in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Florida.

The company, a subsidiary of German automotive supplier Benteler, has chosen the city of Jacksonville for a purpose-built plant that aims to start producing Holon’s Mover electric shuttles in 2026.

The developer for the project is Kansas City-based VanTrust Real Estate and it’s set to be a significant undertaking, with the size of the site stretching to 500,000 square feet and the rumored cost in the region of $100 million.

A sketch of the planned factory on the Holon website shows a site that features a production hall, test track, car parks and two ponds, located just off Zoo Parkway in the city.

Around 150 people will be employed at the factory initially, with an additional 1,000 jobs likely to be generated through the supply chain.

The Mover was displayed at CES in Las Vegas last year, where it caused quite a stir. The Level 4 AV can seat up to 15 and is intended as a public transit, ride-hailing or ride-pooling solution.

Level 4 is rated by the Society of Automotive Engineers as when a vehicle is in control of the driving in certain circumstances or a specific location. The Mover’s automated functionality is facilitated by a suite of sensors which includes short and long-distance lidar, radar and cameras.

Related:Partnerships, Ecosystems, Future Transportation: CES is a Wrap

Credit: Holon

According to Holon, the Mover will set “new benchmarks in safety, ride comfort and production quality” for an autonomous shuttle and will be built to comply with certain requirements, such as Buy America legislation and the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which will ensure an easier rollout.

Benteler will make the vehicle available in the U.S. in tandem with Orlando-based Beep, who will provide the services and software to deploy, manage and operate the shuttle.

Petr Marijczuk, COO of Holon, said: “We are thrilled to establish our first U.S. manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, marking a milestone not just for Holon, but for Florida, the United States and the global autonomous vehicle industry. After an initial ramp-up phase, our Jacksonville plant will produce approximately 5,000 autonomous movers annually, making them more accessible and quicker to the market worldwide.”

It’s been reported in the local Florida media that the city and state combined to offer financial incentives in the region of $15.7 million to secure the factory and city mayor Donna Deegan expressed her delight at the deal. 

“Jacksonville is poised to be an industry leader in the technology behind AI-driven transportation,” she said. “The addition of autonomous vehicle manufacturing is another big step towards that goal.”

Related:Self-Driving Shuttle Partnership Expands in California

Prototypes of the Holon Mover will be available by the end of this year, with the first pilot deployments of the shuttle targeted for 2026 in locations as diverse as airports, municipalities, campuses and national parks. 

Holon says it is planning further production sites in the future.