Mar 14 2017
After a host of commitments to electromobility across the German automotive industry over the past months, Volkswagen now seems to be determined to enter the production of one of the core elements of electric vehicles: The battery cells. In an interview with German press ageny dpa, Volkswagen’s head of work council, Bernd Osterloh explained that the die is cast.
Credit: Volkswagen
According to media reports, Volkswagen plans to establish the battery production line in its current engine plant in Salzgitter, Germany. Osterloh said the company expects that the batteries will account for 40% percent of the value of a future electric car. “The question is if we want to rely entirely on Asian manufacturers,” he said “My opinion is that we should do that by no means.”
Volkswagen recently agreed on a program called Zukunftspakt, or Pact for the Future. Besides describing ways to increase the company’s profitability, the program contains a plans to expand its electromobility activities and establish digital services. Since batteries are regarded as core component of electromobility, it would be essential to establish series production of these batteries.
Electromobility is a central issue for the entire automobile industry. In Germany however, the development of electric cars and the related infrastructure so far has not made much headway.