The Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America site in Ellabell, in an aerial image from 2022.

Richmond Hill & Bryan County Guide

Commuting to the Hyundai Metaplant from Richmond Hill

Where the plant is, how long the drive is from Richmond Hill and nearby towns, which roads are changing, and how to apply.

A Living Richmond Hill guide · Updated October 2026

The plant: where, when and how big

The Metaplant sits in Ellabell, in north Bryan County, on a 2,900-acre site that you can see from I-16. Hyundai describes it as about 30 miles west of downtown Savannah. (Hyundai’s 2025 grand-opening release says “about 20 miles outside Savannah,” so its own two descriptions differ. Use the drive times below instead.)

Hyundai says the first IONIQ 5 rolled off the line on October 3, 2024, and held its grand opening on March 26, 2025. The IONIQ 9 launched in March 2025, and a Kia Sportage Hybrid launched in June 2026. Hyundai says the plant started with room for 300,000 vehicles a year and plans 500,000.

Jobs and investment: who said what

Different groups have given different job and dollar figures, and they measure different things. We list them separately and do not add them together.

• Hyundai (2025): more than 8,500 people will work on the megasite once it is fully operating, and about 6,900 more jobs will be at offsite suppliers.
• Georgia Department of Economic Development (2022 agreement summary): 8,100 jobs across the plant, affiliated suppliers and the battery joint venture, at an average salary of $58,105 plus benefits, to be reached by December 31, 2031.
• Georgia Governor’s office (Feb. 2024): 17 suppliers in 10 counties, with 6,700-plus jobs announced.
• Investment: the state announced $5.54 billion in May 2022. After the 2023 battery expansion, the Governor’s office put the plant and battery joint venture at about $7.59 billion. These are two snapshots of the same project, not two separate sums.

Hiring is still ramping up. The Current Georgia, a nonprofit news outlet, analyzed company compliance reports in September 2026 and counted 2,112 employees at the main plant, and 4,365 across the plant and its on-site affiliates, against the 8,500 goal. That is a news analysis, not an official Hyundai number.

Drive times from Richmond Hill and nearby

These are routing estimates, not rush-hour times. We used the public OpenStreetMap-based OSRM routing server, with the destination set to the center of the plant property as mapped in OpenStreetMap. Starting points are City Hall for Richmond Hill, Savannah and Statesboro, the city center for Pooler and Pembroke, the center of Ellabell, and the airport. Times assume free-flowing traffic. They leave out rush hour, plant shift changes and construction delays, so plan on longer.

Two things stand out. Pooler is the closest of the larger towns, at about 30 minutes without traffic. Ellabell and Pembroke are the only places on this list where the trip is a short local drive.

For a reality check, WTOC reported in May 2024 that around 80 percent of hires lived within 60 miles of the plant. That is a news report, not a Hyundai statistic. Hyundai does not publish shift start and end times on its website, so ask the recruiter which shift you would work before you price out the drive.

Routes and road projects

From Richmond Hill, the router’s pick is I-95 north to I-16 west, then to the plant. The plant’s own frontage road, Genesis Drive, runs along I-16. Several state projects are changing the approach, and some dates are still open.

What it means for you: the Old Cuyler interchange adds another way on and off I-16 near the plant, and the I-16 widening should add capacity on the main route from Richmond Hill, Pooler and Savannah. But the widening does not start until 2027, so expect construction on the route for some time. Pembroke is also studying traffic around the plant. That is a city study, not a state project.

Suppliers near Richmond Hill

You do not have to drive to Ellabell to work in the Hyundai supply chain. The Georgia Governor’s office announced in November 2022 that Hyundai Mobis would build an electric-vehicle power electric systems plant at Belfast Commerce Park in Richmond Hill: $926 million and at least 1,500 jobs. The release expected production in 2024. We could not find an official statement on when it opened or how many people work there now. The Current Georgia reported in September 2026 that 416 of 1,578 promised hires were confirmed, with a 2031 deadline. Again, that is a news analysis.

Other supplier announcements from Georgia’s economic development office include Joon Georgia near Statesboro (630 jobs, $317 million, Nov. 2022), and two Chatham County plants, Daechang Seat (over 500 jobs, Oct. 2023) and Seoyon E-HWA (about 500 permanent jobs, Feb. 2023). If you are choosing where to live, a job at one of these may make your drive shorter than the Metaplant numbers above.

How to apply and train

Hyundai posts Metaplant openings at careers-americas.hyundai.com/hmgma, including hourly production and maintenance roles and salaried jobs. Check each posting for pay, shifts and benefits. The battery joint venture on the same campus has its own careers page at hlbma.com/careers.

For training, Georgia Quick Start, the state’s workforce training program, runs the Hyundai Mobility Training Center of Georgia in Ellabell, next to the plant. Georgia’s economic development office describes an 89,000-square-foot center that can train up to 824 people at a time (post dated December 5, 2025). We did not find a street address or a public sign-up process, so start at georgiaquickstart.org. Technical colleges also offer an eight-credit Electric Vehicle Professional certificate built with Hyundai. Savannah Technical College signed its agreement with HMGMA on May 10, 2023, and calls graduates preferred for employment. Ogeechee Technical College says finishing its version guarantees an interview, but not a job.

Shuttles and transit

We found no official Metaplant shuttle or vanpool, and Hyundai’s site says nothing about commuting. We found no public bus route to the plant either. Plan on driving or carpooling.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

• Moving to Richmond Hill & Bryan CountyThe full newcomer guide
• Richmond Hill vs. Pooler, Ellabell and StatesboroCompare the towns around the plant
• Cost of livingWhat housing and daily costs look like

Sources

1. Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, “Our Facility”: address, acreage, jobs, parking. hmgma.com/our-facility/ (read Oct. 15, 2026)
2. HMGMA, “Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America Celebrates Grand Opening,” Mar. 26, 2025: first vehicle, capacity, supplier jobs. hmgma.com/2025/03/26/
3. HMGMA and Kia America, “Celebrate Production of Kia Sportage Hybrid,” June 3, 2026.
4. Georgia Department of Economic Development, Hyundai Motor Group economic development agreement, executive summary, July 2022. georgia.org
5. Georgia Department of Economic Development, “Hyundai Motor Group to invest $5.54 billion in Georgia,” May 20, 2022.
6. Georgia Department of Economic Development, “Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution invest additional $2B in Bryan County,” Aug. 31, 2023.
7. Office of Gov. Brian Kemp, “Gov. Kemp, State Leaders Celebrate Hyundai Motor Group’s Historic Impact,” Feb. 26, 2024. gov.georgia.gov
8. Office of Gov. Brian Kemp, “Gov. Kemp: Second Global Automotive Supplier to Hyundai Metaplant to Create 1,500 Jobs,” Nov. 23, 2022.
9. Georgia Department of Economic Development, supplier announcements: Joon Georgia (Nov. 7, 2022), Seoyon E-HWA (Feb. 1, 2023); Governor’s office, Daechang Seat (Oct. 23, 2023).
10. Georgia Department of Economic Development, “New Mobility Training Center Showcases Power of Partnership,” Dec. 5, 2025. georgia.org/blogs/new-mobility-training-center-showcases-power-partnership
11. Savannah Technical College, “HMGMA, Savannah Tech Signed MOU for Training Partnership,” May 10, 2023. Ogeechee Technical College, “Ogeechee Tech Launches Electrical Vehicle Professional Certificate,” Jan. 10, 2024.
12. WTOC, “Major milestone met on I-16/Old Cuyler Rd. interchange project,” May 7, 2026. WTOC, “Georgia awards record $468 million contract for I-16 widening project,” July 2, 2026. WTOC, “City of Pembroke, GDOT talk road work timelines,” Feb. 11, 2025. WTOC, Metaplant two years after announcement, May 20, 2024.
13. GDOT, Savannah briefing, Capital Day, Feb. 4, 2026, posted by the Chatham-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (thempc.org).
14. The Current Georgia, “Hyundai suppliers make hiring progress in exchange for public incentives,” Sept. 6, 2026. thecurrentga.org
15. OSRM public routing server (project-osrm.org), with OpenStreetMap data: drive distances and free-flow times, retrieved Oct. 15, 2026.

Facts checked October 15, 2026 by the Living Richmond Hill team. Something changed? Tell us and we’ll update this page.