Rivian, which is nearing production of its eye-catching electric pickup truck, has a factory in Normal, Illinois, and has been actively scouting sites to build a second. Now the city of Fort Worth, Texas, has approved a package of incentives to tempt the EV startup to build its next factory there.

The Fort Worth City Council voted unanimously to offer Rivian tax breaks worth up to $440 million—about 85% of projected property taxes over 15 years—as long as the company can meet certain goals. To get the goodies, Rivian must hire at least 7,500 full-time workers by the end of 2025, at an average annual salary of at least $56,000. This could make Rivian one of the largest employers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area.

The city council also nominated Rivian for a state enterprise project designation that would allow sales and use tax refunds of up to $1.25 million over a five-year period.

Rivian’s proposal, code-named Project Terra, includes an investment of some $5 billion to build a plant on a 2,000-acre site at Walsh Ranch, around 12 miles from downtown Fort Worth. The facility would include 12 million square feet of buildings, and would have an annual production capacity of approximately 200,000 vehicles.

Fort Worth is not Rivian’s only suitor. The company is also considering a site east of Mesa, Arizona—it currently operates a small engineering and test facility near Phoenix.

Source: Carscoops