The untold story of MAGNET’s formation and what it means for Mississippi’s manufacturing future
While governors made headlines announcing the Mississippi-Alabama-Georgia Network for Evolving Transportation (MAGNET) pact last August, the real story began three years earlier in quiet university offices and research labs across the Deep South.
The initiative didn’t emerge from state capitols or corporate boardrooms, but from a retired Honda executive turned university researcher who saw an opportunity others had missed. Mike Oatridge, former Senior Vice President of Honda in Alabama and now leader of the Alabama Mobility and Power Center (AMP) at the University of Alabama, recognized that the Southeast’s automotive manufacturers were racing toward an electrified future without the regional infrastructure to support it.
“The reason this initiative can work is because of the team and the fact that the region is willing to work together,” said Oatridge. “This isn’t the case in all areas of the country.”
Initial discussions between Alabama and Mississippi researchers soon expanded to include the University of Georgia, which brought expertise in electric mobility living labs, real-world testing environments for studying how electric vehicles operate within communities, explained Clay Walden, Executive Director of Mississippi State University’s Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems (CAVS) and a board member of the Mississippi Automotive Manufacturers Association.
The timing seemed ripe. Three to five years ago, electric vehicle hype was at its peak, with government subsidies propping up what appeared to be an unstoppable market transformation. But the researchers saw beyond the headlines to a more complex reality: the South had the manufacturing might but lacked critical pieces of the supply chain puzzle.
MAGNET was formed intentionally as a tri-state research and industry consortium because the scale and complexity of domestic EV manufacturing cannot be advanced within the boundaries of any single state, Oatridge said.
“The innovations required—from mineral processing and battery development to manufacturing, charging infrastructure, and workforce readiness—span an interconnected ecosystem that crosses state lines,” he said. “MAGNET is designed to reflect and manage that reality.”
A Partnership Born from Necessity
The three-state region already commanded impressive automotive credentials. Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia collectively produced 1.9 million vehicles in 2023, hosting 14 major automotive assembly plants or battery manufacturers. Mississippi alone employs more than 15,000 skilled automotive workers, with transportation equipment manufacturing representing 16% of the state’s industrial workforce.
Yet beneath these impressive numbers lay a vulnerability. Most of the critical minerals for battery production came from overseas, often from countries with complicated relationships with the United States. The technology for recycling lithium-ion batteries remained underdeveloped. The electrical grid wasn’t prepared for thousands of vehicles simultaneously charging. And perhaps most surprisingly, few people knew that Mississippi and Alabama sit atop one of the nation’s largest lithium deposits, with additional graphite reserves, the only known deposits in the contiguous 48 states.
The universities worked for more than two years developing their partnership before winning a crucial $1 million Phase 1 Development Award from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Engines Program in 2023. This seed funding allowed them to formalize MAGNET with a fourth foundational partner: Southern Company, the parent of the region’s major utility providers.
“Our collaboration gives us a unique platform to align policy, research, industry needs, and workforce capabilities across the region,” said Oatridge. “This type of multi-state coordination is not only rare; it’s exactly what’s required to build a competitive, resilient battery and EV supply chain in the United States. The region’s inherent strengths amplify this advantage—our shared corridor includes critical mineral assets such as lithium and graphite, proximity to major OEMs, and a fast-growing network of suppliers already making commitments to electrified manu-facturing.”
Mississippi’s Deliberate Position
For Mississippi, MAGNET represents more than another economic development initiative. The state has experienced a 36.4% drop in manufacturing employment since 2000, with current employment at approximately 140,400 workers, down from a peak of 246,700 in 1995. The partnership offers a pathway to reverse this decline by positioning Mississippi at the forefront of next-generation automotive technology.
The timing is particularly crucial for Nissan’s Canton facility, Mississippi’s flagship automotive plant since 2003. After multiple rounds of workforce reductions and voluntary buyouts in early 2025, the plant is investing $500 million to retool for EV production. Similarly, Toyota’s Blue Springs facility just announced plans to launch a hybrid Corolla, signaling the state’s pivot toward electrified vehicles.
But, MAGNET’s focus extends far beyond traditional manufacturing. The initiative identifies five critical research gaps that Mississippi is uniquely positioned to help fill. First, extracting and processing rare earth materials from domestic sources, particularly relevant given the lithium deposits stretching from Vicksburg toward Jackson and down to Mobile. Second, developing battery research infrastructure. Third, creating systems for recycling advanced batteries. Fourth, integrating EV charging with the electrical grid. And fifth, addressing emergency preparedness and cybersecurity for connected vehicles.
Beyond the Hype Cycle
The researchers behind MAGNET take a pragmatic view of the EV market’s volatility.
“Markets come and go,” noted Walden. “But, this technology is incredibly important for the next generation of mobility technologies.”
He sees the current market correction as falling somewhere between the initial hype and today’s skepticism, with long-term growth driven by genuine consumer demand rather than government subsidies.
This long-term perspective is crucial for Mississippi. While monthly sales figures fluctuate and political winds shift, the fundamental transformation of automotive technology continues. Advanced driver assistance systems, autonomous features, and connected vehicle technologies all require the substantial onboard power that electric platforms provide. The safety benefits alone—dramatically reduced fatalities through AI-powered collision avoidance—justify continued investment regardless of short-term market dynamics.
What MAGNET Means for
Mississippi’s Future
For Mississippi businesses and workers, MAGNET promises tangible benefits. The partnership’s workforce development committee is addressing the fundamental shift in manufacturing skills, from mechanical assembly to power systems and circuit management. Emergency responders need training on high-voltage vehicle systems. Assembly line workers require new certifications. Even the state’s educational institutions must adapt their curricula.
More broadly, MAGNET positions Mississippi to capture investment that might otherwise flow to competing regions. By presenting a unified three-state value proposition to manufacturers, the partnership strengthens Mississippi’s hand in attracting suppliers, research facilities, and advanced manufacturing operations.
As the partnership prepares its Phase 2 NSF proposal titled “Accelerating a Domestic Supply Chain for Advanced Automotive Manufacturing,” Mississippi stands to benefit from being an integral part of America’s automotive future, not only as a production hub, but as a center for innovation, research, and the critical minerals that will power the next generation of vehicles.
The success of MAGNET won’t be measured in quarterly reports or political cycles, but in Mississippi’s ability to renovate its manufacturing workforce, attract cutting-edge investment, and transform its automotive sector for the decades ahead.
“During the Type-1 Engines Development award, MAGNET demonstrated the power of this coordinated model,” said Oatridge. “The team engaged with national EV stakeholders, completed rigorous regional workforce and skills analyses, strengthened partnerships with OEMs and suppliers, and began standing up a state-of-the-art battery lab at UA that will serve the region broadly. These efforts have already catalyzed meaningful commitments from industry and positioned MAGNET as a Living Lab for what an integrated domestic EV ecosystem can look like.”
Even though MAGNET was unfortunately not selected as a finalist for the NSF Engines competition, the team remains fully committed to the vision, said Oatridge. “We’re actively working to secure the organizational structure and funding mechanisms needed to continue advancing the MAGNET mission and to deliver the regional impact we know is both possible and necessary.
“I firmly believe our tri-state approach will continue to drive value for the region, for NSF, and for the nation’s electrification goals.”