VW starts battery cell development in Salzgitter

A joint venture between Northvolt and Volkswagen to build and operate a battery cell factory will see over one billion euros invested in the Volkswagen Group’s battery cell activities.

A pilot line for small-series battery cell production was opened at the Center of Excellence (CoE) in Salzgitter, with some 300 experts involved in developing, testing and piloting manufacturing technologies for lithium-ion batteries. In a first step,

Construction of a 16 gigawatt hour battery cell factory in Salzgitter is to start in 2020 and to commence production in late 2023 / early 2024.

The 50/50 joint venture with Northvolt will create 700 jobs.

Dr. Stefan Sommer, Member of the Volkswagen AG Board of Management responsible for Procurement, commented:

“Bringing together the development, testing and pilot production of battery cells in Salzgitter marks a further milestone in the Volkswagen Group’s comprehensive electric offensive. By pooling know-how at this site, we are making sure we drive forward our own activities to further advance the development of battery cells as a key component in electrification, develop new standards and swiftly transition them to series production.”

A battery recycling pilot line is also under construction in Salzgitter and is slated to begin operating in 2020.