HOLON, a German autonomous vehicle manufacturer, will open its first U.S. facility in Jacksonville by 2026, creating over 100 jobs and producing 5,000 electric shuttles annually.

HOLON, a German autonomous vehicle manufacturer, announced this month that it will open its first U.S. facility in Jacksonville to produce electric shuttles, expected to be operational by 2026, creating more than 100 new jobs in the region.

The 500,000-square-foot plant will initially create 150 jobs, with the potential to generate 1,000 jobs as production scales. HOLON plans to produce 5,000 autonomous vehicles annually, designed for public transportation and other uses. The facility will comply with U.S. regulatory standards, including Buy America, allowing customers to qualify for federal funding to operate the shuttles. The project is backed by the Florida Department of Commerce.

“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,” said Henning von Watzdorf, CEO of HOLON said. “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.”

Local officials, including Mayor Donna Deegan, said the new plant will support the city’s efforts to expand its role in high-tech transportation, complementing ongoing projects by the Jacksonville Transportation Authority.

“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,” 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.”

HOLON’s shuttles are expected to be used in a variety of settings, including airports, campuses, and public transit systems, with prototypes set to be available later this year. The company is partnering with Orlando-based Beep, Inc. to help manage and deploy the vehicles across the U.S.