Electric vehicle battery plant Envision AESC breaks ground

BOWLING GREEN, Ky.- “This is the second largest ever investment in the history of Kentucky and it’s right here in Bowling Green,” said Governor Andy Beshear. 

Envision AESC, one of the world’s largest electric vehicle battery companies, officially breaks ground in Bowling Green, less than six months after announcing the project.

Dozens of local officials and community leaders gather at the Kentucky Transpark to celebrate the $2 billion investment that makes Kentucky the electric vehicle battery production capital.

“We were looking in multiple different states and ultimately landed on Kentucky, they had the best size and infrastructure, just overall the job growth here is very attractive to us,” said Envision AESC’s Managing Director Jeff Deaton. 

The company will immediately create 2,000 new jobs. 

“These are jobs for the next 50 years,” said Gov. Beshear. 

Mercedes Benz is one automaker who plans to use the electric vehicle batteries here in Bowling Green.

As for what other cars will use the batteries manufactured here, we’re still waiting to find out.

“When they add a new one, they’ll add a new part of this facility on which there will be more investment, more construction and more jobs. So this is just the start for what Envision is gonna do and knowing that they are the longest producer of batteries in the United States we know it’s gonna be successful,” said Gov. Beshear. 

Site work will start later this week and by late fall of next year, the first production equipment will be brought into the building. Trials will start in 2024.