Before the Assembly Line:
Cost Management for
EV Workforce Training Centers
Walk into a Georgia Quick Start EV training facility and you might mistake it for the production plant down the road with the same equipment, workstations, and flow you will find in the factory.
That's the intent. Before a single vehicle rolls off a Georgia assembly line, technicians have already practiced their jobs in spaces engineered to feel exactly like the real plant.
This case study follows three of those training facilities, each built with its own programming, footprint, and constraints. Palacio Collaborative provided Cost Management across all three during planning and design to keep budgets aligned without sacrificing the details that make these spaces work.
Leading the Pack: Hyundai Mobility Training Center of Georgia
The Hyundai Mobility Training Center of Georgia opened its doors to students in November 2025 in Bryan County. The state’s first facility built exclusively for EV workforce training, the center is a collaboration among Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai), The Technical College System of Georgia (TSCG), and Georgia Quick Start.
Located adjacent to Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA), the center is designed to reflect the real-world production environment. Classrooms, technical labs, and large-scale training spaces support hands-on learning with robotics, mechatronics, welding systems, motors, and other advanced EV manufacturing technologies.
As a member of the SSOE design team, Palacio provided full Cost Management services, including the initial cost model and estimates through Schematic Design, Design Development, and Construction Documents.
With a clearly defined scope and consistent communication, SSOE’s design process progressed with the same efficiency and precision expected in EV manufacturing.
At each milestone, Palacio worked with the construction manager to compare and reconcile cost estimates, which resulted in final estimates that only differed by about one percent.
Hyundai Mobility Training Center of Georgia
Location: Pembroke, GA
Client/Architect: SSOE Group
Palacio Services: Cost Model and Cost Management (SD, DD, CD Phases)
Owner: GSFIC - Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission
Delivery Method: CM-at-Risk
Project Size: 90,000 sf
Construction Cost: $44 million
Construction Completion: 2025
Photography: © Creative Sources Photography / Rion Rizzo
Keeping Design and Cost in the Same Lane: Quick Start Rivian Electric Vehicle Training Center
Planned as a workforce training facility to support Rivian’s proposed Georgia plant, this Georgia Quick Start project required a flexible approach from the start.
With multiple design paths in play, the design team led by Cooper Carry needed real-time cost insight to evaluate options without compromising the program or vision.
Palacio helped guide that process, developing Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost models across multiple concepts. This gave Cooper Carry and Georgia Quick Start a clear understanding of how each direction would impact the budget, allowing the team to adjust scope, test options, and keep the project moving forward.
Landscape and site engineering introduced another layer of cost estimating complexity. Sustainable stormwater management was a priority, which included bioswales, a garden, and a walking trail. Pricing these proposed elements requires additional research, as landscape data is less standardized than core building systems.
Quick Start Rivian Electric Vehicle Training Center
Location: Social Circle, GA
Client/Architect: Cooper Carry
Palacio Services: Cost Model and Cost Management (SD, DD Phases)
Owner: TCSG - Technical College System of Georgia
Delivery Method: CM-at-Risk
Project Size: 75,000 sf
Construction Cost: $47 million
Construction Completion: 2027
Rendering: Cooper Carry
The project hit the brakes in 2024 when Rivian paused plans for its Georgia plant, the catalyst for this facility. However, Rivian’s plans to build a Georgia plant restarted in late 2025, and consequently this companion training center is moving forward and will be in place to support Rivian’s plant slated for operation by 2028.
Palacio and the project team are currently revisiting pricing since the market has markedly changed within the last two years.
If needed, the team will move on to value engineering where Palacio will collaborate with the CM to reconcile costs for the design development phase.
Navigating Market Pressures in a Competitive Construction Environment:
Quick Start Electric Vehicle Training Center Expansion
This expansion of Quick Start’s Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC) added laboratories, a high bay space, and extra classrooms in a standalone facility adjacent to the existing facility.
Palacio has deep experience estimating construction costs for Career and Technical Education (CTE) facilities, including the complex electrical systems this expansion required. But this project wasn’t happening in a typical market. As data center construction surged across the region, demand for electrical contractors spiked. Higher pay and long-term data center work pulled labor away from other sectors, driving electrical pricing up across the board.
Those pressures showed up quickly in this project’s estimates, forcing the team to answer a critical question: was this a temporary spike, or a lasting shift?
Palacio worked closely with the construction manager to break it down. Together, the team evaluated how labor demand was impacting bids and confirmed the increases were real. From there, targeted value engineering adjustments brought the project back into alignment with the budget.
Quick Start Electric Vehicle Training Center Expansion
Location: Pooler, GA
Client/Architect: Pond & Company
Palacio Services: Cost Model and Cost Management (SD, DD Phases)
Owner: TCSG - Technical College System of Georgia
Delivery Method: CM-at-Risk
Project Size: 17,000 sf
Construction Cost: $9.4 million
Construction Completion: 2025
Rendering: Pond & Company
Driving Projects Forward
These training centers are more than educational facilities. They are built to prepare a workforce for modern EV production, giving employees hands-on experience before they ever step onto the factory floor.
Each project required different paths and timelines, but all shared the same goal and the same commitment to keeping scope, budget, and design intent working together.
Together, they reinforce the role of early cost leadership in delivering complex, innovative facilities.
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Projects like these show how independent cost management helps keep design and program aligned, which is key for technical training facilities tied to Georgia’s economic future.
R. Terry Dickerson
Vice President of Cost Management
Palacio Collaborative
Planning a complex workforce, higher education, or advanced training facility?
Contact Terry today to get the cost conversation started!