Rivian

Gov. JB Pritzker says his administration is fighting to make sure federal help promised to Rivian and other electric vehicle makers doesn't go away when Donald Trump returns to the White House.

The electric automaker Rivian says it made just under 50,000 vehicles in Normal in 2024 and that supply problems with a key motor part have been fixed.

Bloomberg News reports Rivian and the UAW have a confidential agreement for the company to take a neutral position on efforts to bring union representation to its plant in Normal.

A Town of Normal fixture is retiring after four decades in municipal government and the town is re-aligning leadership in the wake of that. Inspections Director Greg Troemel oversaw $3 billion in commercial and residential growth.

The electric automaker Rivian may have found a lifeline for its stalled plans for a new manufacturing plant in Georgia, winning a $6.6 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy in the final weeks of the Biden administration.

The auto industry is embracing Tesla's charging technology in order to share its vast Supercharger network. This is going to be a slow transition — expect to see a lot of adapters.

Heartland Community College has signed up 26 new apprentices to learn and train with businesses in the region, while getting paid. During National Apprenticeship Week, Heartland is spotlighting more than 60 active apprenticeships to boost the regional workforce.

Volkswagen has increased its planned investment in the electric automaker Rivian through a joint venture that officially launches Wednesday. The first Volkswagen models made with Rivian’s technology are expected to launch in 2027.

Rivian, Bloomington-Normal's largest manufacturer, is one of many firms scrambling to figure out how to adjust to a higher tariff environment likely to come from a second Trump administration.

EV industry-watchers interviewed by WGLT say electrification is still where the auto industry is headed – and that won’t change. But the pace of that transition and America’s role in it are certainly up for grabs.