A major Japanese battery maker has stopped construction on a $1.6 billion plant in South Carolina, citing “policy and market uncertainty” tied to electric vehicles and global trade.
Automotive Energy Supply Corp. (AESC) said Thursday it’s temporarily halting work on the factory in Florence, which is meant to supply batteries for electric BMWs made in the state.
The company didn’t list specific concerns, but South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster pointed to worries over changes to federal EV tax credits, incentives for clean energy businesses, and potential new tariffs under President Donald Trump.
“We’re urging caution,” McMaster said. “Let things play out — all these changes are happening at once.”
AESC has pledged to restart construction, though it hasn’t given a timeline. It says it will still meet its promise to hire 1,600 workers and invest $1.6 billion, and has already spent $1 billion on the site.
The Florence plant is meant to supply battery cells to BMW, which is building its own assembly plant nearby. BMW says the AESC delay won’t affect its timeline to open in 2026.
South Carolina had previously pulled back $111 million in planned incentives after AESC scaled down its original plans. But the company is still set to receive $135 million in grants and $121 million in state bonds.
The pause comes as other clean energy projects in the U.S. are also facing uncertainty tied to Trump’s trade stance. An earlier analysis found $14 billion worth of clean energy projects have been canceled nationwide.
Still, South Carolina continues to bet big on EVs. Scout Motors, owned by Volkswagen, plans to open a $2 billion plant in the state in 2027 to build electric SUVs.
The United States is set to deploy an additional 200 troops to Nigeria as part of expanded counterterrorism cooperation, according to a senior Nigeria...
BMW is recalling a mid six figure number of vehicles worldwide after identifying a potential fire risk linked to the starter motor....
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wi...
Italy will not join U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace because of constitutional constraints, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wedn...
James Van Der Beek, who rose to fame as Dawson Leery in the hit teen drama Dawson’s Creek, has died aged 48 following a battle with stage 3 colorect...
The United States is set to deploy an additional 200 troops to Nigeria as part of expanded counterterrorism cooperation, according to a senior Nigerian military source.
BMW is recalling a mid six figure number of vehicles worldwide after identifying a potential fire risk linked to the starter motor.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Trump hosted Netanyahu for closed-door talks focused on negotiations with Tehran, Gaza and wider rBenjamin Netanyahu ended a two-and-a-half-hour meeting at The White House on Wednesday without reaching agreement on how to move forward on Iran.
Italy will not join U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace because of constitutional constraints, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said on Wednesday, confirming Rome’s decision to stay out of the initiative.
JD Vance arrived in Armenia on Monday (9 February), becoming the first sitting U.S. Vice President to visit the country, as Yerevan and Washington agreed to cooperate in the civil nuclear sector in a bid to deepen engagement in the South Caucasus.
The United States and Azerbaijan signed a strategic partnership in Baku on Tuesday (10 February) encompassing economic and security cooperation as Washington seeks to expand its influence in a region where Russia was once the main power broker.
Buckingham Palace said it is ready to support any police investigation into allegations that Prince Andrew shared confidential British trade documents with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as King Charles expressed “profound concern” over the latest revelations.
“Peace is not just about signing treaties - it’s about communication, interaction and integration,” Sultan Zahidov, leading adviser at the AIR Center, told AnewZ, suggesting U.S. Vice President JD Vance's visit to the South Caucasus could advance the peace agenda between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held an official welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace, marking the start of high-level talks between the two NATO allies.
BMW is recalling a mid six figure number of vehicles worldwide after identifying a potential fire risk linked to the starter motor.
British chipmaker Fractile will invest £100 million over the next three years to expand its artificial intelligence hardware operations in the UK, opening a new engineering facility in Bristol as it ramps up production of next-generation AI systems.
The European Union has launched its largest semiconductor pilot line under the European Chips Act, investing €700 million ($832 million) in the new NanoIC facility at IMEC in Leuven, Belgium, as part of efforts to strengthen Europe’s technological sovereignty.
Alphabet is emerging as a frontrunner in the global artificial intelligence race, as analysts and executives say Google has overtaken OpenAI, marking a sharp reversal from a year ago when the company was widely seen as lagging.
China’s internet user base has climbed to about 1.125 billion people, highlighting the country’s vast digital reach and creating fertile ground for the rapid spread of generative artificial intelligence across daily life, work and business.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment