Holon, a German manufacturer of self-driving public transit vehicles, announced Sept. 4 that it is building a $100 million manufacturing facility in Jacksonville.
The location will be the state’s first autonomous vehicle assembly facility.
The campus off Heckscher Drive and Zoo Parkway is expected to be 450,000 square feet on about 40 acres and open in 2026.
Holon expects to employ up to 200 people at the facility. It is the company’s first North American plant. The vehicles will be sold in the U.S., Europe and Saudi Arabia.
A map of the Holon factory shows it in North Jacksonville south of Zoo Parkway in Imeson Park South industrial park. It is about 3 miles east of the Jacksonville Zoo.
The map shows the factory on two parcels owned by VanTrust Real Estate, through JI IPS 19 LLC. They total 40.37 acres.
VanTrust acquired the 22.2-acre parcel in April for $3.835 million from Orlando-based Webb International, which sold the property through CEFL Inc.
VanTrust acquired the 18.17-acre parcel in 2022 for $1.5 million from the Charles W. Bostwick Trust.
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.
Jacksonville was among several U.S. cities vying for the manufacturing plant.
The announcement and the importance of the deal were outlined at an hourlong announcement event 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.
“Thanks to the support and activities, which are run by JTA and that team, Jacksonville is better prepared than others. We see this as a clear advantage,” he said.
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 boxy, 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.
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.
“Do we stand by while other cities innovate, or do we take this opportunity to lead the way?”
The state is providing an $8 million incentive award and a tax credit. Jacksonville is contributing $7.7 million in property and training grants.
The breakdown of the city’s participation is a $7.5 million Recapture Enhanced Value Grant and a $200,000 training grant that translates to $1,000 per employee up to 200 employees.
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.
“To have a great and successful production, you need to have the right people, the right team. The team needs also a leader, and this is what we think we will get here in Jacksonville,” he said.
“By the way, also the veterans here we would like to support, and get employees from the veterans in the area.”
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.
“So all the hotels and the airlines need to get ready because folks will be traveling to this facility. They’ll be traveling to Bay Street to see how it’s done. They’ll see the pride that Jacksonville has in this new technology,” he said.
Aundra Wallace, president of JAXUSA Partnership, said the factory represents a new industry coming to the area. JAXUSA Partnership is the regional economic development division of JAX Chamber.
Wallace said the factory will act as a catalyst for similar companies seeking to relocate to Jacksonville. He compared the impact to when the Mayo Clinic in Florida opened in Southside.
Beep is the company that is developing much of the driverless technology. Joe Moye, CEO of Beep, based in Lake Nona, expects that his company will hire 100 employees to work in its Jacksonville division.
“We’re actually going to be locating a number of resources into the new Autonomous Innovation Center. This where we’ll have a command and control environment to launch the Bay Street innovation corridor,” he said.
Most of Holon’s suppliers are based in Europe. It is expected that several will expand to Florida to establish a United States base, von Watzdorf said.
“We need a bunch of suppliers for our product, suppliers which we have already identified. They are not necessarily all available here in the U.S. So that is something that might develop over time and we see some suppliers joining us,” he said.
This story has been updated with new information.