They came with promises of transformation: thousands of jobs, surging salaries, and a foothold in the booming electric vehicle market.
Imola Automotive USA, a Boca Raton, Florida-based startup, pitched officials in small, struggling towns in Georgia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas on a bold vision. The company planned to build six EV plants, create 45,000 jobs — and help these impoverished communities secure a place in America’s green future.
But more than 18 months later, the company hasn’t broken ground on a single site. And its top executive — whose background is in television and athletic shoes, not automotive manufacturing — has gone silent.
A Floodlight investigation did not uncover lost taxpayer money in Fort Valley, Georgia; Langston, Oklahoma; or Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where Imola has sought free land, municipal financing, and other incentives for its shifting proposals.
But an economic development watchdog said the episode illustrates how the frenzy to land electric vehicle jobs ... Read more
