Electric vehicle maker Scout Motors ceremonially broke ground Thursday at its future Blythewood facility.
Scout Motors officials said the state-of-the-art facility will be a cutting-edge assembly plant that puts together parts in a clean way to create Scout Motor trucks and SUVs.
Scout Motors President/CEO Scott Keogh says today in Blythewood you won’t see any shiny shovels or public officials turning dirt. Keogh says today’s groundbreaking is more profound than “just a production thing,” but says it’s a relaunch of “an American icon” in South Carolina. pic.twitter.com/XzRD0TOpzN
— Maayan Schechter (@MaayanSchechter) February 15, 2024
A Town of Blythewood FAQ said the location of the town is one of the main reasons why that region of Richland County was chosen. The area has direct access to Interstate 77, only 7 miles from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport, and only 120 miles from Port of Charleston.
Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday at the groundbreaking that Scout Motors’ decision to put its plant in South Carolina proves that the state leads the nation in innovation.
“Scout Motors coming to South Carolina is a dream come true and this is just a sign of what’s going to keep on happening first in South Carolina,” McMaster said. “Scout is a great company with a great future, great vision, and great legacy, and reviving Scout is exciting, this is going to give careers, jobs, and futures for a whole lot of people.”
In 2023, the S.C. Legislature approved a $1.3 billion incentives package to bring Scout Motors to Richland County.
The state money goes toward building a new interchange for the plant on I-77 and a railroad bridge over the highway. There would be other improvements to sewer, power and roads, as well as grants the company could use for whatever it wishes to get the venture off the ground, South Carolina Commerce Secretary Harry Lightsey said.
There were no shiny shovels or public officials turning dirt. Scout Motors’ President and CEO Scott Keogh said Thursday that the day was more profound than just a "production thing."
"What we’re doing here is relaunching an American icon, and we’re doing it here in South Carolina and, frankly, we couldn’t be prouder to be doing it here in this beloved place.
Blythewood Mayor Pro-Tem Donald Brock said the town has always been willing to transform with the times.
Now, he said, is no different
“The Blythewood community is no stranger to the transformative impact that industry can bring,” Brock said Thursday. “The rail line put Blythewood on the map in the 1800s, where the tow supplied water for steam engines, and fast-forward to the late 70s, the town would further transform when I-77 essentially cut the town in half opening this rural community for people for all walks of life.”
Public officials hailed the project, including Richland County Council Chair Jesica Mackey.
“Scout Motors is the largest economic development announcement in the history of Columbia, South Carolina,” said Mackey. “When the county council purchased one of the last undeveloped areas in the region, the council saw the undiscovered potential, the goal of the purchase of the land was to continue the advancement of residents, and Scout Motors turns that goal into a reality.”
The facility will have three components of an automotive plant: the body shop, the paint shop, and the assembly shop.
Scout officials say the plant will make more than 200,000 cars a year, what amounts to more than 40 cars an hour.
The independent company headquartered in Virginia and backed by Volkswagen plans to produce all-electric trucks and SUVs in the style of the Scout vehicles produced by International Harvester between 1960 and 1980.
The three goals Scout Motors says it has when it comes to the implementation of the plant are: carbon neutrality, aiming that the plant has a zero-carbon footprint; using green power sources whenever available; and efficient energy consumption, reducing emissions whenever the company can.
Vehicle production is targeted to begin by the end of 2026, with plans to go on sale in 2027.
