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VW to Launch Battery Cell Production in Germany
Volkswagen AG says it will begin making battery cells in Salzgitter, Germany, on a pilot basis by the end of 2019.
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Volkswagen AG says it will begin making battery cells in Salzgitter, Germany, on a pilot basis by the end of 2019.
The company’s supervisory board has approved nearly €1 billion in funding to build the factory. Details will be completed later this year.
As EV product builds, VW plans to shift to dramatically higher-volume battery output through so-called gigafactories. Such plants will be operated in partnership, perhaps with such companies as CATL, LG Chem and SKI, according to VW.
The carmaker says it will produce lithium-ion batteries initially but add next-generation solid-state batteries as enabling technologies evolve.
VW estimates it will need more than 300 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity per year in Europe and Asia alone a decade from now. By then, the company expects to have nearly 70 electric vehicles in its multi-brand model lineup.
For now, sales of electrified vehicles are modest, and VW is importing propulsion batteries for those vehicles from Asian suppliers.
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