Mercedes-Benz has made a ceremonial start on building what will be the latest in its global network of electric vehicle battery manufacturing plants.
The 12,000 sq m Brühl facility near Stuttgart, Germany, at the site of the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim plant, will be “carbon neutral” and become one of several of the car giant’s battery factories spanning seven locations on three continents.
The plant will support lithium-ion battery production for the Daimler-owned company’s recently-launched range of EQ vehicles.
Frank Deiß, head of powertrain production for Mercedes-Benz Cars and site manager of the Untertürkheim plant, said: “With the construction of the new battery factory as part of Daimler’s e-offensive, the next milestone on the migration path from the internal combustion engine to electric mobility will be laid here in Brühl.”
In 2018, Mercedes-Benz announced investments of more than €1 billion (US$1.1bn) in “global battery production”, in concert with the launch of its first fully-electric vehicle— the ‘EQC’.
The company has said previously that the EQC’s 650kg lithium-ion battery unit has an expected total range of 450km, and will be able to fast-charge from 10% to 80% in 40 minutes.
