Electric car production surge: Mercedes opens US battery plant – Business

With a new battery plant in the United States, Mercedes-Benz is laying the groundwork for a sharp increase in the production of electric cars. At the plant opening in Alabama, CEO Ola Källenius spoke of a “milestone” on the way toward an all-electric future for the group. Mercedes wants to start manufacturing the electric EQS ​​SUV and EQE SUV models here within a few months. They are part of an offensive to produce eight fully electric cars in seven locations around the world. Alabama has always been an important center for the export of Mercedes cars.

Read from our add-on: This is what Mercedes bosses deserve

The battery plant in Bibb County, near the 25-year-old Mercedes car plant in Tuscaloosa, plays a key role in the electrification strategy. “We are proud of our ability to create new and future jobs to build all-electric ‘Made in the USA’ SUVs in one factory,” Kallenius announced Tuesday in Alabama. In order to make its American production suitable for electric mobility, the group has spent about a billion dollars in the past few years.

Mercedes wants to do a lot more here in the future. The plant that has now opened in Bibb County is initially just an assembly plant in which battery systems are assembled from delivered cell packs. But in the long term, Mercedes also wants to get more involved in cell production. The group has now announced a partnership with specialist Envision AESC to build a US cell plant. Mercedes has already announced that it intends to build eight “Giga plants” with partners around the world to produce cells with a total capacity of more than 200 GWh.