Daimler starts construction of second battery factory in Kamenz, delivers to first EQ production model

To support its push towards electric cars, Accumotive, a subsidiary of Daimler (custodians of the Mercedes-Benz brand), announced that construction of a second battery factory has begun in Kamenz, Germany.

With an investment of around 500 million euros (around RM2.2 billion), Daimler claims the new facility will be one of the biggest and most modern battery factories in Europe. Scheduled to start operations in the middle of 2018, the new C02-neutral facility covers an area of about 20 hectares, and is in close proximity with the existing battery factory, also in Kamenz.

“By 2025, our passenger car product portfolio will contain more than ten fully electric vehicles. At the same time, we are continuously pushing our plug-in-hybrid offensive and the introduction of 48-volt-systems. Highly efficient battery systems are an important aspect of our strategy,” said Thomas Weber, member of the board of management of Daimler AG.

“They are an integral part of the vehicle architecture and not a ready-made product. The development, production and integration of those complex systems into our vehicles is one of our core competences,” he added.

At this year’s Paris Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz formally revealed its new electric vehicle sub-brand – EQ – along with an SUV concept to accompany the announcement. Mercedes has already stated that the first series-production EQ model will be launched in the SUV segment within this decade, and the Generation EQ served as a preview for just that.

Powering the concept are two electric motors fitted on both axles, with 300 kW (402 hp) and 700 Nm of torque made available. The production-ready EQ model is claimed to provide an all-electric range of up to 500 km, the same as the concept.

The Kamenz plant will not only supply lithium-ion batteries for EQ vehicle, but also all electrified vehicles of Mercedes-Benz and Smart – including plug-in hybrids and fully-electric vehicles. The facility will also produce batteries for stationary Mercedes-Benz energy storage units as well as 48-volt systems. The latter will be gradually integrated into different model ranges in the future.

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