Rivian

NORMAL, Ill. (WAND) - Rivian, which owns a plant in the town of Normal, said it has plans in the works for a second manufacturing facility. 

NBC affiliate WEEK reports the electric vehicle maker wants a second assembly plant in the United States that will include battery cell production. This move would be meant to build on the company's plans in central Illinois. 

"Normal is a launching pad and a cornerstone for Rivian's strategy and development for decades to come," Rivian Senior Manager of Plant Communications Zach Dietmeier said. 

Reuters first reported Rivian was planned to build a second assembly plant in America. There are multiple states who have bids in for the factory, with a groundbreaking planned for early 2022.

Dietmeier said there are no plans for any "replacement or reduction" of the scope of the Rivian campus in Normal. 

Normal Mayor Chris Koos said Rivian's plans are "incredibly good news for the community" as the company "continues to grow and thrive". 

"We are proud to be kind of a ground zero for this," a prepared statement from Koos said. 

He added the vision and culture of Rivian "aligns with ours as a community".

"Cascading impacts of the pandemic" were the cause of delays in R1T pickup truck deliveries Rivian has dealt with, company founder and CEO RJ Scaringe said. Rivian has financial backing from Amazon and other investors. 

Rivian came to Normal when it acquired a closed former Mitsubishi plant in 2017. The factory in west Normal has 2,232 full-time workers and over 7,000 total employees. Dietmeier said there will be about 3,000 full-time employees there by the end of 2022.Â