New autonomous vehicles manufacturer could be coming to Jax in wake of JTA autonomous bus struggles

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Mayor’s Budget Review Committee considered a big incentive package for an autonomous vehicle manufacturer on Monday.

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According to the project summary, the yet-to-be-named company is considering Jacksonville as its foothold in the U.S. It promises 145 new jobs by the end of 2027 and a $100 million capital investment for the new facility.

But, to make this happen, the city has to deliver some big perks.

Read: JTA locks in deadline for self-driving city vehicles after self-driving shuttle debut

The Office of Economic Development is asking for a $200,000 grant from the city for training employees, but the biggest ask is a tax incentive of what could be more than $7.5 million, which is 25% more of a break than the standard.

As Action News Jax has been telling you, this matters because the Jacksonville Transportation Authority has spent millions to create an autonomous vehicle loop downtown.

It’s supposed to be substantially completed by September of this year, but to comply with the federal grant funding, it will have to be a Ford E-transit with an autonomous kit on it because the vehicles have to be made in America.

None of the ones JTA has been showcasing are made in America, so while this new project wouldn’t help out the current terms of the JTA project, it would help others down the road.

Read: 2021 emails show FDOT concerns over Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s autonomous vehicle plan

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