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  • Volkswagen Group and PowerCo SE launch site search for first gigafactory in North America

    The Volkswagen Group and its battery company PowerCo SE founded in July 2022 intend to accelerate the build-up of their global battery business through rapid expansion to North America. Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume and the Canadian Minister for Innovation, Science and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, signed in Wolfsburg today an Addendum to the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of August this year to identify suitable sites for a cell factory in Canada. The two parties will continue their cooperation in the areas of battery value creation, raw material supply chains and cathode material production which had been established in August. Furthermore, PowerCo and materials technology group Umicore have agreed to investigate a strategic supply agreement on cathode material for North America. In September, the two companies had announced that they would cooperate in Europe by forming a joint venture for precursor and cathode material production.
  • Volkswagen Group and Canada aim to advance sustainable battery supply chain in North America

    Volkswagen AG and the Government of Canada aim to promote e-mobility in the country and to explore opportunities across Canada’s automotive and battery supply chain. This was agreed in a "Memorandum of Understanding" (MoU) signed today in Toronto by Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess and Canada's Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry, François-Philippe Champagne, in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Both parties will investigate opportunities for Canada to contribute to Volkswagen’s global and regional battery supply chains. PowerCo, the newly founded battery company of the Group, has a central role in these efforts and will drive forward the planned cooperation in the fields of battery value creation, raw materials supply chains and cathode material production in the North American region.
  • 96 MEB cell modules reused: Volkswagen Sachsen couples fast-charging park with mega power bank
    07/14/22

    96 MEB cell modules reused: Volkswagen Sachsen couples fast-charging park with mega power bank

    Today, at the Zwickau vehicle plant, Volkswagen commissioned the first fast-charging park in Saxony, which is supplied with energy largely from a so-called power storage container (PSC). The PSC is a type of enormous electricity storage unit and consists of 96 cell modules with a net capacity of 570 kWh. The advantage is that fast-charging infrastructure can be built nearly anywhere, even if in places with a low-capacity grid connection. Residential areas are one example of where this could be used. Additionally, this solution is sustainable: all cell modules in the PSC were formerly installed as batteries in pre-production models of the ID.3 and ID.4 and have now been given a second purpose. With the pilot project, Volkswagen Sachsen is putting its technology expertise on display, which goes beyond the manufacturing of its six all-electric vehicles. Two other central German companies – AW Automotive and Automotive Research – were involved in the realization of the project.

Stories

Volkswagen ID.4
04/23/21

“Ranges of over 500 kilometres will soon be a matter of course”

Prof. Maximilian Fichtner is an internationally renowned expert in battery technology. In an interview, he talks about improved battery systems, alternatives to the use of cobalt and the climate advantage of e-cars.
Battery recycling pilot plant

From old to new – Battery recycling in Salzgitter

Something is happening in Salzgitter that has never been seen before in the Volkswagen Group – the first plant for recycling used electric car batteries is beginning operations. We look back at the development of this innovative and sustainable process.
Story: “Every battery has to prove its safety in 5,000 tests”
01/22/21

“Every battery has to prove its safety in 5,000 tests”

Driving electric means driving safely: Before the battery systems of modern e-cars from Volkswagen hit the road, they have passed a lifetime of comprehensive safety checks. Dr. Michal Bruna is Head of Electronics Development and Testing at the Battery Development Center of Volkswagen Group Components in Brunswick. He explains what release tests the energy storage devices have to undergo.

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