Rivian Automotive has announced plans to construct a $120 million supplier park in Normal, Illinois. The location is near its electric vehicle manufacturing facility, and the California company expects other suppliers to set up shop at the park. The park could become an EV production hub that would reduce shipping, logistics and warehousing costs with a local material supply chain. Rivian expects to add 100 direct jobs in the area within the next two years.
Construction is currently underway and is scheduled to wrap up sometime in 2026. Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the park will be a key component as the company starts production of its R2 electric SUV the same year.
A subset of Rivian suppliers are expected to perform on-site manufacturing and light assembly at the park. Rivian employees will kit and sequence parts, and then move the components to the main facility.
Rivian plans to construct an underground tunnel from the park to the main plant, attempting to avoid local traffic while maintaining efficient operations.
The state will support the expansion with incentive packages, looking to help Rivian offset start-up costs and infrastructure improvements. The incentive packages also include tax credits tied to targets for new jobs.
Meanwhile, the town of Normal is making road improvements and helping offset the costs of running utility infrastructure to the new supplier park with future tax reimbursements.
Currently, Rivian builds all electric vehicles at the Normal plant. This includes the company’s R1S all-electric SUV and R1T truck, as well as Amazon’s Electric Delivery Van and the Rivian Commercial Van.
