German firms Bosch Group and Volkswagen Group have signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a European battery equipment solution provider.
The companies will investigate the possibility of supplying the entire range of processes and components needed for the large-scale manufacture of battery cells and systems.
This will include: integrated battery production systems, on-site ramp-up, and maintenance support for battery-cell and battery-systems manufacturers.
Both partners have formed a project unit with goal of establishing a new company by the end of this year.
The Volkswagen Group plans to build six cell factories by 2030 in Europe.
Across Europe, there are a number of projects to build cell factories with a total annual capacity of around 700GWh by 2030.
Leading roles in battery industry
For both partners, the alliance draws on complementary areas of expertise that include Bosch’s know-how in factory automation and systems integration, and Volkswagen’s automaker credentials.
Rolf Najork, member of the Board of Management, Robert Bosch, said: “Together with Volkswagen, we seek a path to industrialise production processes for battery cells with standardised equipment.
“We understand how battery technology works, and know how to manufacture it. With more than 135 years of automotive experience and our proven industrialisation expertise, we want to serve the growing demand for batteries.”
Image: (back row, from left) Günter Krenz, general manager Bosch Manufacturing Solutions; Rolf Najork, member of the board of management, Robert Bosch; Aemen Bouafif, assistant to the Bosch Board of Management. (front row, from left) Thomas Schmall, Volkswagen Group board member for technology; Frank Blome, head of Battery Volkswagen Group; Sebastian Wolf, head of operations battery cell Volkswagen Group. credit Bosch.
