The city is reviewing civil engineering plans submitted Oct. 9 for Project Link, which was announced as Holon, a German manufacturer of self-driving public transit vehicles.
Holon announced Sept. 4 that it is building a $100 million manufacturing facility in North Jacksonville. It will be state’s first autonomous electric vehicle assembly facility.
Jacksonville-based England-Thims & Miller Inc. is the civil engineer for the project, shown as a 491,472-square-foot building on 40.88 acres along Zoo Parkway, which also is Heckscher Drive.
The Holon factory is planned north of Zoo Parkway in the Imeson Park South industrial park, about 3 miles east of the Jacksonville Zoo.
VanTrust Real Estate LLC owns the land through JI IPS 19 LLC of Jacksonville.
Holon said it expects to open the plant in 2026 and employ up to 200 people at the facility, which is its first North American plant. The vehicles will be sold in the U.S., Europe and Saudi Arabia.
The map shows the factory on two parcels owned by VanTrust Real Estate, through JI IPS 19 LLC.
Holon is a subsidiary of Benteler Automotive Group, also based in Germany.
It became evident in April that Holon was the company code-named Project Link by the city during negotiations.
The state is providing an $8 million incentive award and tax credit while Jacksonville is contributing $7.7 million in property and training grants.
The project was outlined Sept. 4 at the Jacksonville Transportation Authority Armsdale Park-N-Ride Test & Learn Facility.
Speakers emphasized the Holon factory could serve as a foundation for a new sector of economic growth for the city.
Henning von Watzdorf, Holon CEO, said Jacksonville leadership proved it is committed to the future of autonomous vehicles.
The idea of a driverless vehicle was first explored nine years ago when JTA formed a committee to decide the future of the aging Skyway. JTA traveled to Washington, D.C., and overseas to discuss funding and the practicality of the idea.
The Holon Mover is a toaster-shaped autonomous electric vehicle that can hold 15 passengers. It can reach a top speed of nearly 40 mph.
The JTA’s first route will be along the Downtown corridor of Bay Street to EverBank Stadium. The $66.5 million project is expected to come online next year.
JTA will use Holon vehicles for its Ultimate Urban Circulator transportation system, also known as U2C, that will replace the Downtown Skyway. Until the Holon vehicles are in production, refurbished Ford E-Transit vans will be used.
The total cost of the U2C system could reach $400 million. It is funded by a gas tax the City Council approved in 2021.
When the factory is in operation it is expected to produce 12,000 cars a year, said Holon COO Petr Marijczuk.
Holon’s impact will grow when its vehicles are incorporated into the U2C, said JTA CEO Nat Ford. Other cities will want to incorporate the Holon Movers into their urban transportation systems.
Mayor Donna Deegan said the industry could change the nation’s perception of Jacksonville.
“Jacksonville is positioned to be a national and even international leader in the technology behind AI-driven traffic,” she said.