President Joe Biden's administration announced Tuesday that the U.S. Department of Energy will make a $6.6 billion loan to Rivian Automotive to build a factory in Georgia that had stalled as the startup electric vehicle maker struggled to become profitable.

Months after Rivian halted construction of its east Georgia factory, a lifeline from the federal government could help it restart the highly anticipated project. Why it matters: Rivian's planned 2,000-acre compound roughly 50 miles east of Atlanta,