Volkswagen held Power Day According to Volkswagen’s press release, the company held “Power Day” on March 15th, 2021. The Volkswagen Group presented its technology roadmap for batteries and charging up […]
According to Volkswagen’s press release, the company held “Power Day” on March 15th, 2021.
The Volkswagen Group presented its technology roadmap for batteries and charging up to 2030. The goal of the roadmap is to reduce the complexity and cost of the battery significantly. As a result, the company can make electric vehicles attractive and viable for as many people as possible.
At the same time, the German company is aiming to secure the supply of battery cells beyond 2025. In Europe alone, the Group is planning to build six gigafactories by the end of the decade. Their capacity will reach 240 GWh as a whole.
Volkswagen is also pursuing expansion of the public fast-charging network globally. The Group has been agreed cooperation in Europe with the energy companies BP (Great Britain), Iberdrola (Spain) and Enel (Italy).
Volkswagen is pushing ahead at full speed with the development of production capacities in Europe. This is because the Group tries to meet the increasing demand for battery cells.
Volkswagen is contributing to meet the targets of the European Union’s Green Deal. The first two factories will operate in the Swedish city of Skellefteå and in Salzgitter. Volkswagen focuses on production of its premium cells in the Swedish gigafactory “Northvolt Ett” in Skellefteå in collaboration with Northvolt.
Northvolot is a Swedish battery developer and manufacturer and specializes in lithium-ion technology for electric vehicles. Its mission is to build green lithium ion batteries to enable the European transition to a clean, carbon-neutral energy future. The company sets a new benchmark for sustainable manufacturing, not only of batteries but for manufacturing at large.
Northvolt commits to be responsible for sourcing and leveraging. Therefore, it will assure a value chain free of conflict, child labor and human rights abuses. Furthermore, it will manufacture cell by 100 percent renewable energy.
In addition, Northvelt invests in vertical integration and innovation of process design. As a result, it can optimize use of resources, as well as minimize the environmental footprint.
According to the European Commission’s official page, the European Green Deal provides an action plan. The purpose of the deal is to boost the efficient use of resources by moving to a clean, circular economy. Furthermore, the deal wants to restore biodiversity and cut pollution.
The plan outlines necessary investments and financing tools available. It explains how to ensure a just and inclusive transition, too. In addition, the EU aims to be climate neutral in 2050. A European Climate Law turns this political commitment into a legal obligation. As a result, all sectors of its economy should take actions and observe the law.
In the other article about VW’s subsidiary SEAT, we could expect this movement before. However, it seems that the Volkswagen Group seriously takes the production of batteries into consideration. Of course, the company pays attention to its EV rival, Tesla because the US company held “Battery Day” in 2020. It is true that Tesla’s competitors including VW may follow its strategy that produces their own batter cells.
The question here is how to realize battery production. This is because it needs lots of technology and investments. It means that companies should make big decisions to realize goals. In this sense, the Group is going to take bold actions. The German automotive giant will build six gigafactories by 2030. In addition, the collaboration with Northvolt is also important. The Swedish battery manufacturer is a front runner of battery technology in Europe and other companies keep eye on it.
We just start to realize carbon neutrality and there are so many challenges. Therefore, public policies including the EU Green Deal as well as big companies’ initiatives are necessary to achieve the goal. Possibly, they are not enough to do so now, so we hope more companies make big decisions.
