Without stopping production, the plant was converted into one of the most modern factories in the automotive industry and is a flagship project for electric mobility. Around 180,000 vehicles were produced at Emden in 2023. The Emden site has been producing vehicles for the Volkswagen Group for 60 years. Since the site was founded in 1964, more than 12.5 million vehicles have rolled off its production lines Environmental protectionEnvironmental protection is a core element of strategic decisions at the Emden site. With its conversion to a purely electric plant, the Volkswagen plant in Emden conceived its vision of becoming a “carbon-neutral balance sheet factory” by 2030. Numerous measures are being planned and implemented for this purpose, in particular with regard to increased use of renewable energy. PortThe port of Emden is the third largest automobile transshipment port in Europe. At the port, virtually all models of Volkswagen Group brands shipped from European and overseas ports are handled by Volkswagen Group Logistics and Autoport Emden GmbH. Around 600 ships, 160,000 railcars and 35,000 lorries arrive at the mouth of the Ems river every year, delivering and collecting cars. Imported vehicles from Portugal, Spain, Mexico and South Africa are distributed across Europe from Emden. Automotive manufacturers also export their vehicles across the world from Emden, for example to the USA, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan, Spain or Portugal. In 2023, around 1.3 million vehicles were shipped through the port of Emden. Around a third of these were electric vehicles (BEV & PHEV). Industrial estateVolkswagen has provided support for the “Frisia” industrial estate being developed on the former Frisia refinery site by the municipality of Emden with aid from the state of Lower Saxony and the EU since 2003. Alongside other companies and start-ups, the park is also home to Volkswagen suppliers.