WOLFSBURG, March 13 (Reuters) – Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) battery wants are coated till 2028 by its three confirmed factories in Europe – the Salzgitter plant in Germany, Northvolt’s plant in Sweden and a deliberate plant in Valencia, board member Thomas Schmall stated on Monday.
The carmaker continues to be concentrating on 240 gigawatt hours of battery cell manufacturing capability in Europe however might do that with fewer than the initially deliberate six crops, Schmall stated.
“We keep on with the 240 gigawatt hours. Whether or not we’d like 5 or 6 crops is determined by the inducement technique of the nations… this isn’t determined but,” he added.
The chief stated he expects demand for between 60 and 100 gigawatt hours of capability in North America, however didn’t give particulars on how a lot of this capability might be offered by Volkswagen-owned crops.
It was a misunderstanding that bulletins of recent crops in North America meant that the carmaker would do much less in Europe, Schmall stated, including it was merely ready to see what Europe needed to provide as a response to the U.S. Inflation Discount Act (IRA).
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The Valencia plant, confirmed final 12 months, is because of start manufacturing in 2026. Volkswagen doesn’t want to start out building of a brand new plant in Europe till 2025, Schmall stated, including a call on the following location may very well be made sooner if an analogous tailwind to the IRA materialised in Europe.
The carmaker was standardising the construction of its factories and batteries, however the chemistry of the battery would differ for various fashions, Schmall stated: Batteries for entry-level fashions will use iron phosphate, whereas medium-level fashions could have excessive manganese content material and high fashions elevated silicon content material.
With its PowerCo battery unit, Volkswagen wished to develop into a big participant however not the one participant within the battery house, Schmall added, highlighting that 95% of the battery market is dominated by Asian gamers.
Reporting by Victoria Waldersee
Enhancing by Miranda Murray, Kirsten Donovan
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