Daimler is expanding its global production network for lithium-ion batteries

Daimler is starting the construction phase for a second battery factory at its one-hundred-percent subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE at the Kamenz site and is thus taking another step towards electromobility. With an investment of around 500 million euros, Kamenz is one of the most modern and largest battery factories in Europe. Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber (Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG responsible for Group Research & Mercedes-Benz Cars Development), Markus Schäfer (Member of the Mercedes-Benz Cars Division, Production and Supply Chain Management) and Frank Blome met the official groundbreaking ceremony (Managing Director of Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE GmbH & Co. KG) with Stanislaw Tillich (Minister President of the Free State of Saxony and President of the Federal Council) and other representatives from politics and business.

“By 2025, we will have more than ten pure electric vehicles in the portfolio alone in the passenger car segment. In parallel, we are consistently pushing ahead with our plug-in hybrid offensive and the introduction of 48-volt systems. Highly efficient batteries are an important part of our strategy. They are an integral part of the vehicle architecture and not a product off the shelf. The development, production and integration of these complex systems into our vehicles is one of our core competencies, “says Weber. Today the company already has a large number of electrified vehicles on the market and the product portfolio will continue to grow. At this year’s Autosalon in Paris, Mercedes-Benz presented its new product brand for electromobility, EQ. It provides a comprehensive electromobile ecosystem of products, services, technologies and innovations. The flagship of the new brand is the series-like “EQ” show car, which celebrated world premiere in Paris. Still in this decade, the first EQ series model in the SUV segment starts with a range of up to 500 kilometers. This is followed by a model offensive that will successively complement the portfolio of Mercedes-Benz Cars with electrified models. The ACCUMOTIVE supplies the batteries for the production of the first EQ standard vehicle.

Prime Minister Tillich emphasized: “The investment is a strong sign of confidence in the Saxon site here in the Upper Lusatia. The project aims to make the traditional Saxon automotive industry fit for the era of electric mobility. Whether electric mobility or stationary energy storage – there is a lot of future in both business areas. “He also referred to already existing skills in the free-market. Four Fraunhofer institutes from Saxony are involved in the battery research alliance of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.

Daimler is investing around one billion euros in the worldwide production of battery systems. “We are building a global production network for lithium-ion batteries. Kamenz becomes the center of excellence in this network. The flexible and efficient production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars has deepened the know-how of the new battery factory for the production of future-oriented technologies. This strengthens our international competitiveness and is very well positioned for future mobility, “says Schäfer.

The new production facility is to be put into operation in the middle of 2018. The plot of around 20 hectares is located in the immediate vicinity of the existing battery factory in Kamenz, which is located about 50 kilometers from Dresden. The existing production and logistics area will quadruple by the construction of the second factory to a total of approximately 80,000 square meters. ACCUMOTIVE will gradually increase the number of employees in the coming years. By the end of the decade, the number of employees at the site is more than doubled. “We already started the battery production for vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and smart in Kamenz in 2012.” For around a year, we have also been producing stationary battery storage systems for industrial applications and private households. With the know-how and motivation of our employees, we have qualified for a further development step and are becoming the center of excellence for global battery production, “said Blome, who will also be responsible for the global battery production network. “In our new factory in Kamenz, we think holistically in terms of electromobility and already rely on sustainability in production.”

The new plant will be built as a CO2-neutral factory. A combined heat and power plant and a photovoltaic system will supply power to the production facilities in conjunction with stationary battery storage. For this purpose, solar modules are installed on the roof of the new production facility on a surface with the size of two soccer fields. This corresponds to a capacity of 2 megawatts. The new battery factory will also set industry standards with the latest industry and technology.

In the future, lithium-ion batteries will be manufactured in Kamenz for all electrified cars from Mercedes-Benz and smart – from the plug-in hybrid to the pure electric models. It also produces batteries for stationary Mercedes-Benz energy storage systems as well as for 48-volt systems. The 48-volt electrical system will gradually be introduced in various series.