JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jacksonville is taking another step toward becoming a major player in the world of self-driving cars.
After months of code names and massive tax break approvals, JTA announced the plan for a new facility to produce autonomous electric shuttles as a part of Project LINK on Wednesday.
Watch the full announcement below.
JTA officials say this move will be historic for Jacksonville because they consider the new facility to be a “first of its kind” in the United States.
It is being built to solely focus on producing self-driving electric shuttles.
According to JTA, the facility is going to be 450,000 square feet and the first in Florida. It is expected to employ up to 200 people while offering competitive pay and benefits.
There will be a capital investment of $100 million.
The company manufacturing the cars is called Holon and is based in Germany.
“It’s our mission to solidify Jacksonville’s leadership as pioneers in future mobility,” Holon CEO Henning von Watzdorf said.
In June, the city council approved more than $7.5 million in incentives for the company to build the new plant.
JTA officials think autonomous vehicles could be the key to growing downtown Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville is poised to be an industry leader in the technology behind AI-driven transportation,” Mayor Donna Deegan said. “It complements the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s innovative work in this space and the University of Florida’s downtown campus that will offer artificial intelligence degrees in the future. We welcome the jobs, expertise, and global recognition that Holon will bring to Jacksonville.”
The first vehicles are set to be deployed in pilot projects by early 2026 on the Bay Street Innovation Corridor in downtown.
“We’re also looking at some of the less dense areas of our community where right now we run the ready-ride zones, these vehicles, these shuttles will be perfect for deploying in less dense areas where a 40-foot bus is overkill,” JTA CEO Nathaniel Ford said.
Currently, there is a free self-driving shuttle making the rounds in the Brooklyn area, which is a pilot program that started last week and continues through September.
That is in addition to the autonomous shuttles running on FSCJ’s campus.
In February, Ford claimed the electric bus routes were just the beginning of self-driving cars in the River City.
“We are getting much closer to that future with a great deal of mobility excellence,” Ford said.