Switchplace Let's Talk Booking

Case Study

Housing the
Future of EV

How Switchplace Powered a $5.5B Mega-project with End-to-End Housing Solutions for a Fortune 100 Auto Manufacturer

Electric vehicle assembly line with car bodies on an automated production floor

The Client

Fortune 100
Automobile
Manufacturer

To simplify housing operations by centralizing management, improving access to existing inventory, and accelerating the development of new supply to meet growing demand.

Furnished corporate apartment living room with kitchen, sofa and floor-to-ceiling windows

Project Overview

In 2021, our client—a global automotive leader—announced a $5.5 billion investment to construct a first-of-its-kind electric vehicle (EV) and battery production complex in a rural Southern U.S. town (population: 450). The site would become home to:

  • A flagship EV manufacturing plant
  • A JV-owned battery facility
  • A technical training center
  • Six co-located OEMs

With more than 6,000 incoming engineers, interns, contractors, and OEM employees expected, the demand for workforce housing far exceeded local supply.

The Challenge

The automaker faced a high-stakes logistical hurdle:

  • Extremely limited housing inventory—in the township and surrounding region
  • Fragmented housing supply, with no central access point
  • No internal capacity to coordinate housing logistics across a multi-year project

The automaker needed a full-service, strategic partner who could streamline housing, activate new inventory, and take on operational ownership—without burdening already maxed-out internal teams.

Modern kitchen with wood cabinetry, dark tile backsplash and stainless appliances

Switchplace's Solution

As the exclusive corporate housing provider for the automaker across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Switchplace delivered a fully integrated, end-to-end housing strategy:

  1. Sourced, furnished, and managed full-service housing solutions in and around the target township, overseeing every step—from lease execution to move-out.
  2. Integrated directly with the automaker’s internal platforms, consolidating all available housing options into a single, centralized portal already in use by their travel teams.
  3. Brokered introductions to trusted multi-family developers, sharing authorized project details and workforce data to spur new construction without requiring financial or contractual obligations from the automaker
  4. Created a centralized and custom portal that delivered vetted, ready-to-book housing inventory for:
    • automaker employees
    • battery JV and partner teams
    • six co-located OEMs
    • contractors, vendors, and start-up support teams

Results

  • Delivered over 350 full-service and furnished housing solutions to support the onboarding of 6,000+ people, including sourcing, setup, lease management, reporting, and centralized communications—with more units launching throughout the project’s lifespan.
  • Acted as the automaker’s strategic housing partner, eliminating administrative burden, centralizing communications, and simplifying operations through a single point of contact and vendor management structure.
  • Enabled new multi-family development in an underserved rural market by activating developer interest through data-backed forecasts and trusted introductions—with no financial risk to the automaker.
  • Integrated all housing solutions into the automaker’s existing tech stack, offering seamless access for employees while improving visibility, compliance, and control.
  • Extended housing access to Battery JV partners, OEMs, contractors, and vendors via a single, unified housing portal—ensuring consistent quality and experience across all project partners.
Newly built multi-family apartment buildings with balconies under a blue sky

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