WEST COLUMBIA — Employees huddled over work stations in a West Columbia assembly facility June 27, screwing down inductors, contactors and other components to control the flow of electricity in what will become an 180 kilowatt electric vehicle fast-charger station when it reaches the end of the line.
But on this particular Tuesday, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm was on hand, along with Congressman Jim Clyburn, the U.S. House’s third-ranking Democrat, to witness the work being done as Switzerland-headquartered ABB E-mobility seeks to deploy more of its chargers across the country.
The factory tour was part of a multi-state road trip by the secretary highlighting the impacts of the Biden administration’s marquee clean energy legislation, which along with the federal infrastructure package that followed has spurred investment across the country.
Granholm started her trip June 26 in Charlotte at the Electric Power Research Institute. She will continue on from Columbia to sites in Georgia and Tennessee.
Like many states across the South, the Palmetto State has aggressively pursued makers of electric vehicle batteries and their components, dangling lucrative incentives in hopes of securing a foothold in a drastically shifting automotive market.
“South Carolina is at the center of this transition that’s taking place,” Clyburn said.