Ford in August resumed production of the F-150 Lightning after expanding and
retooling the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center plant in Dearborn, Michigan, to triple
manufacturing capacity for the electric truck.
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
The electric vehicle revolution (the current UAW “Stand Up” strike notwithstanding) is
sparking nearly as many reports as new manufacturing plants. Among the more compelling:
CBRE on September 7 published “Electric Vehicle Trends and Challenges for
Industrial Real Estate,” which includes analysis of more than $150 billion worth
of manufacturing plant projects across 16 U.S. states and dozens in Canada and Mexico
too. The chart below documents which states are welcoming the most capex in this space.
“Demand for EV manufacturing space is heavily concentrated in the U.S.’s Midwest and
Southeast regions due to logistical, economic and labor market advantages, but
California and Texas also stand to see significant investment,” the report states,
noting that “rising demand for EVs, charging stations, batteries and other components
will require strategically located distribution centers and manufacturing spaces that
are often near renewable energy sources.” Chicago and Detroit lead the way on a chart
of metro areas with the most space leased for EV-related activity.
“The plant as a product: Hyperscaling green
capex,” a McKinsey & Co. report released the same day, walks readers through
industrializing “the end-to-end process of designing and delivering gigafactory
projects,” with cost savings one chief benefit. The report includes discussion of
pursuing multiple projects on overlapping schedules.
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS), based in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
last week published a new Technology Brief, “A Road Map to Electrification,” focused on
ways to accelerate the nation’s transition from gas-powered to electric vehicles by
looking at potential crossovers between the civilian and military domains and studying
21 companies that build, supply and support EVs. Among its findings is the potential
for use of supercapacitors (SCAPs) instead of batteries for energy storage.
Select EV Manufacturing Investments in New or Existing Facilities, Ranked by
Value
Competitive
EV and clean energy manufacturing incentives and a new $400 million
Invest in Illinois closing fund are just some of the reasons why
“there’s never been a better time to do business in the State of
Illinois,” writes Governor JB Pritzker.
Two speculative buildings are already available, including a 117,180-square-foot building
in Florence, South Carolina; a 100,107-square-foot building along a CSX-operated rail line
in Scranton, South Carolina; and a county-owned 50,000-square-foot building in Marlboro
County.
Construction is underway for a 100,000-square-foot building in Andrews, South Carolina; a
51,885-square-foot building in Kingstree, South Carolina; and a 99,360-square-foot
building in Conway, South Carolina.
There is no doubt these buildings will not be available for long due to soaring demand and
the region’s ideal location along the East Coast, located halfway between New York and
Miami along the I-95 corridor, and its direct access to the Port of Charleston via Inland
Port Dillon.
To learn more, contact NESA at info@nesasc.org or 843-661-4669.
PHOTO OF THE DAY
2020 photo by Chris Hill courtesy of Visit Derry and Tourism Northern
Ireland
Today, September 21, is the International Day of Peace. The Peace Bridge in
Derry~Londonderry connects the two sides of the River Foyle in Northern Ireland. Designed
by WilkinsonEyre Architects and AECOM, the bridge opened on June 25, 2011. “The city of
Derry~Londonderry in Northern Ireland is central to the turbulent political history of
Ireland and as the inaugural UK City of Culture in 2013, has undergone an ambitious
program of economic, physical and social regeneration,” WilkinsonEyre says on its web page
devoted to the project.
The serpentine path of the bridge approximates the tilde symbol now used in the city’s
name that separates the historically Catholic name of “Derry” and the historically
Protestant name of “Londonderry.” The structure is one of several notable peace bridges in
the world, including one in Calgary, Alberta, and “The Bridge That Peace Built” that
opened in 1927 connecting Buffalo, New York, and Fort Erie, Ontario.
