T he International Energy Agency projects that electric vehicles will account for more than 15% of U.S. car sales by 2030, and the number of publicly-available EV chargers will rise that year to more than 800,000, from 98,981 in 2020. More automakers are preparing for the projected increase in popularity of electric vehicles by planning to manufacture their own EV batteries. Ford said in September that it and SK Innovation will invest a combined $11.4 billion for a new EV and battery plant in Tennessee and two EV battery plants in Kentucky. The 3,600-acre Stanton, Tenn., campus will also include an on-site wastewater treatment plant and recycling facilities. On Oct. 18, Toyota announced plans to invest $3.4 billion in EV battery development and production in the U.S. through 2030, including the construction of a plant at an unspecified location, and on the same day Stellantis and LG Energy Solution also announced they had formed a joint venture for battery manufacturing. Stellantis and LG are reviewing locations for a North American plant that will break ground in the second quarter of 2022.

Intel Corp.

Arizona Fab Expansion

Intel broke ground on its two new semiconductor plants, known as “fabs,” on Oct. 1 at its 700-acre Chandler, Ariz., campus. The $20-billion project will use 400,000 cu yd of concrete and 40,000 tons of steel. Jacobs Engineering is the designer and Hoffman Construction is the general contractor. Intel says the project will support about 3,000 construction jobs.