Welcome to Commerce, Ga., the Battery Belt.
Demand for electric vehicles has been far stronger than the supply of battery materials like lithium, nickel and cobalt.
Amazon has ordered 100,000 trucks to cut its carbon dioxide emissions, but Rivian will take years to deliver.
The automaker said the move would further its electric-vehicle goals. It may also defuse tensions with the U.A.W. ahead of contract talks next year.
The electric-vehicle maker’s stock has fallen sharply after its initial public offering last year gave it a huge market value.
The automaker reported an 11 percent jump in revenue for the first three months of the year compared with a year earlier.
Under pressure to cut emissions, truck manufacturers are choosing between batteries and hydrogen fuel cells. Wagering incorrectly could cost them billions of dollars.
For the first time since 2001, the government is setting more stringent limits on pollution from trucks, vans, and buses that harms human health.
Ford ended the year with more revenue than General Motors for the second year in a row.