Automotive News Europe — 2023-03-13
Automotive Industry
Volkswagen Group’s battery needs are covered until 2028 by its three confirmed factories in Europe, said Thomas Schmall, CEO of VW’s components division.
The automaker is still targeting 240 gigawatt hours of battery cell production capacity in Europe but could do this with fewer than the originally planned six plants, Schmall said.
"We stick to the 240 gigawatt hours. Whether we need five or six plants depends on the incentive strategy of the countries... this is not decided yet," he said.
The executive said he expects demand for between 60 and 100 GWh of capacity in North America, but did not give details on how much of this capacity will be provided by VW-owned plants.
It was a misunderstanding that announcements of new plants in North America meant that the automaker would do less in Europe, Schmall said, adding that VW is simply waiting to see what Europe had to offer as a response to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
VW's battery plants are in Salzgitter, Germany, Northvolt's plant in Sweden and a planned plant in Valencia, Spain. The Valencia plant is due to begin production in 2026.
VW does not need to start construction of a new plant in Europe until 2025, Schmall said.
He said a decision on the next location could be made sooner if a similar tailwind to the IRA materialized in Europe.
VW is standardizing the structure of its factories and batteries, but the chemistry of the battery will differ for different models, Schmall said.
Batteries for entry-level models will use iron phosphate, while medium-level models will have high manganese content and top models increased silicon content.
With its PowerCo battery unit, VW aims to become a significant player but not the only player in the battery space, Schmall said, highlighting that 95% of the battery market is dominated by Asian players.