The Electric Midwest
The American automobile industry has long been associated with Detroit. Yet as the global shift toward electric vehicles accelerates, the geography of American auto manufacturing is evolving in ways that would have surprised the industrialists of the last century. Increasingly, Illinois — better known for railroads, finance, and agricultural machinery — is emerging as an important node in the country’s electric vehicle ecosystem. The transformation is being driven by a mix of corporate investment, public policy, and a rediscovery of the Midwest’s manufacturing advantages. At the center of this shift sits a former Mitsubishi factory in the town of Normal, Illinois. Once emblematic of the region’s industrial decline, the facility now produces electric trucks and sport utility vehicles for Rivian, one of America’s most closely watched electric vehicle manufacturers. The next phase of that transformation is already underway. Rivian recently announced plans to invest roughly $120m in a...