Autonomous vehicle manufacturer, HOLON, is building its first production plant for its fully-electric, autonomous movers in Jacksonville, Florida. The German-based company is a subsidiary of global automotive supplier BENTELER Group, and the reportedly $100 million investment will be Florida’s first automotive vehicle manufacturing operation . The approximately 500,000-square-foot facility is expected to complete in 2026. The new operation is viewed as pivotal to HOLON’s mission to deliver inclusive, emission-free passenger transportation.
HOLON’s mover is being developed in close collaboration with authorities to ensure it complies with relevant federal requirements, including Buy America and Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), upon deployment. With a top speed of 37 mph and a capacity for up to 15 passengers, the mover is versatile for various applications, from on-demand services like ride pooling and ride hailing to regularly scheduled transit operations.
Henning von Watzdorf, CEO of HOLON, said, “Today marks a significant milestone in the journey of our mover project. With openness and a supportive regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles, the U.S. offers an ideal environment for HOLON’s industrial initiatives and Jacksonville has demonstrated tremendous enthusiasm for our vision from the beginning, making the city a national leader in the deployment of autonomous transit. We are deeply grateful to our partners and team for their tireless passion and hard work, which have made — and will continue to make — our expansion into the U.S. a reality.”
Petr Marijczuk, COO of HOLON, added, “We are thrilled to establish our first U.S. manufacturing plant in Jacksonville, marking a milestone not just for HOLON, but for Florida, the United States, and the global autonomous vehicle industry. After an initial ramp-up phase, HOLON anticipates creating up to 150 jobs by 2027. Our Jacksonville plant will produce approximately 5,000 autonomous movers annually, making them more accessible and quicker to the market worldwide.”
The developer for the project is VanTrust Real Estate. “VanTrust is excited to work with HOLON and JAXUSA on this transformative opportunity,” said Executive Vice President of VanTrust, Marc Munago.
Secretary of the Florida Department of Commerce J. Alex Kelly and Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan expressed support for the initiative, highlighting the positive economic and technological impact on Jacksonville and the broader Florida region.
“With the Governor’s leadership in making Florida a top tier manufacturing state, and Florida’s subsequent surge in high tech manufacturing jobs since 2019, FloridaCommerce was grateful to partner on this endeavor to bring manufacturing for the autonomous vehicle industry to Northeast Florida,” said Secretary Kelly. “Our collective partnership with JAXUSA, The Florida Chamber, HOLON, Benteler Mobility, and BEEP will signal an important transition for this industry from research and development to high demand, high wage manufacturing jobs in the automobile industry that will additional create numerous other jobs to support this industry.”
Prototypes of the mover are expected to be available in late 2024, with the first vehicles set to be deployed in pilot projects by early 2026. Targeting municipalities, private operators, and institutions such as airports, campuses, planned communities, healthcare facilities and national parks, HOLON notes that early interest in reserving this limited series of prototypes highlights a growing demand for a flexible, cost-effective mobility solution that can adapt to diverse environments and operational needs.
HOLON’s mover will be made available in the U.S. through Benteler Mobility in collaboration with Beep, Inc., a provider of autonomous shared mobility solutions. Benteler Mobility will offer comprehensive services for the purchase and implementation of the vehicles, while Beep, an Orlando-based company, will provide the services and software to deploy, manage and operate the autonomous vehicles.
“Jacksonville is poised to be an industry leader in the technology behind AI-driven transportation. The addition of autonomous vehicle manufacturing is another big step towards that goal,” Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan said. “It complements the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s innovative work in this space and the University of Florida’s downtown campus that will offer artificial intelligence degrees in the future. We welcome the jobs, expertise and global recognition that HOLON will bring to Jacksonville.”
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority (JTA) continues to test autonomous vehicle technology through pilot programs at Florida State College of Jacksonville, in the Brooklyn neighborhood and other areas across the region. Building on learnings from these projects, JTA is on track to launch the first phase of its Ultimate Urban Circulator (U2C), a comprehensive program to modernize and expand the Skyway in Jacksonville and introduce autonomous vehicles into JTA’s transportation system next summer.
“Manufacturing has been the missing piece,” JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace said. “JTA is a national leader with autonomous vehicles and has built strategic partnerships across the industry. HOLON’s investment brings the production element to a robust innovation ecosystem in place, and we expect only growth from here on out.”
HOLON’s new plant in Jacksonville complements its regional headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The BENTELER Group, HOLON’s parent company, operates six locations across the U.S., employing around 1,700 people. HOLON is planning further expansion with additional production sites in the future.
