German automaker Volkswagen is going all in on battery cell production for electric vehicles. They just announced plans to develop six “gigafactories” in Europe. According to VW, the factories (once up and running) will be able to manufacture battery cells with a combined energy value of 240 gigawatt hours each year.
“Together with partners, we want to have a total of six cell factories up and running in Europe by 2030,” said Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components. “On average, we will drive down the cost of battery systems to significantly below €100 (around $119.19) per kilowatt hour. This will finally make e-mobility affordable and the dominant drive technology.”
Battery Cell Order
The first two battery factories will be located at a Northvolt facility in Skellefteå, Sweden and VW’s Salzgitter site in Germany. In a separate news release, Northvolt said it had received a $14 billion battery cell order from VW. Volkswagen also plans to increase its ownership stake in the Swedish battery maker.
Volkswagen will also focus on the development of a “new unified cell” which is slated to be rolled-out in 2023. That technology will be used in as much as 80% of the group’s EVs by 2030.
Fast-Charging Points
On the charging front, VW said it planned to operate roughly 18,000 “public fast-charging points” in Europe by the year 2025. This will be realized through its joint venture, known as IONITY. The project also includes other major carmakers, in what has been called “a series of strategic partnerships.”
The latter will see VW – which will invest 400 million euros in its European initiative by 2025 – collaborating with Enel in Italy, Iberdrola in Spain, and BP in Great Britain. In China another joint venture, CAMS, will aim for 17,000 fast-charging points by 2025. In North America, plans are in place for roughly 3,500 fast-charging points by the end of 2021.
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