The Holon people mover is fully electric and autonomous, with room for 15 people. | Dan Scanlan, Jacksonville Today
Published on March 20, 2025 at 4:41 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
Construction of Jacksonville’s Holon autonomous vehicle manufacturing facility is projected to generate almost $300 million in local economic impact over the next four years, according to an analysis by the Coggin College of Business at the University of North Florida.
Eventually, the autonomous people movers it builds will be used on the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s Ultimate Urban Connecter, a driverless transit service that will travel around Downtown.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
The first phrase of the system, called U2C for short, is being tested along Bay Street and other nearby streets.
Florida’s first autonomous vehicle manufacturer is in the early stages of building its 500,000-square-foot factory on Zoo Parkway in North Jacksonville. Due for completion by 2028, it will build autonomous, 15-seat electric people movers.
The UNF analysis says that the region will benefit from more than $200 million during construction, and $87 million annually upon opening in 2028. The project will create more than 800 jobs, plus contractors and suppliers. At least 150 jobs will be at the plant.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
“Holon’s decision to build this facility here has the potential to be a game-changer for Jacksonville, solidifying our leadership in the autonomous vehicle space and driving growth across multiple sectors,” JAXUSA Partnership President Aundra Wallace said in a statement about the UNF study. “This is the type of investment that will have a broad impact across our economy, and we look forward to Holon being a significant part of our business community.”
Germany’s Benteler Group, Holon’s parent company, operates six locations and employs 1,700 people across the U.S. The facility in Jacksonville will be Benteler Group’s seventh location.
JTA will be the first American customer to use the driverless Holon vehicles. Right now, JTA is using autonomous electric Ford vans equipped with sensors, cameras and other gear to test how the U2C’s first phase will work on a 3.2-mile stretch between LaVilla and EverBank Stadium.
A JTA staffer monitors the tests, without passengers, to see how the van performs and to take over if there’s a glitch.
A full fleet of 14 vans will be tested before passenger service launches in June. All will be monitored from the Autonomous Innovation Center, soon to open at West Bay and Jefferson streets.
When the U2C’s second phase kicks off, the existing 2.5-mile Skyway system’s overhead tracks in Downtown and San Marco will be converted to handle the Holon people movers.
No date has been set for the second phase.
