In a bid to overtake Tesla, Volkswagen plans to build six battery cell plants in Europe. VW’s goal is to have all six plants operational by 2030, either built alone or with battery partners.
E-Mobility has been a focus for VW, and there is a lot of money behind the initiative. In December 2020, VW announced a planned spend of $35 billion for e-mobility by 2025.
The VW facilities in Europe will have a capacity of up to 240-gigawatt hours per year. The first 40-gigawatt hours would come from Sweden’s Northvolt, a joint-facility that will open in 2023.
As part of the Northvolt deal, VW will raise its 20% stake in the company and take over Northvolt’s second facility in Salzgitter, Germany. The second battery cell plant is on track to open in 2025. The third facility will be located in either Spain, France or Portugal and will open in 2026. The fourth facility will be in Poland, Czech Republic or Slovakia and will open in 2027.
Two other plants in undisclosed locations will open by 2030.
The new VW batteries will be a unified prismatic battery to help drive down costs associated with production. There is undoubtedly more to come, as VW keeps on Tesla’s tail for EV supremacy.
Source: Reuters
