Skoda Auto has started manufacturing battery systems for all-electric vehicles based on the Volkswagen Group's Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) in Mladá Boleslav, the brand's headquarters located in Czech Republic. This is the brand's only production facility for MEB battery systems in Europe outside Germany.
The facility targets to assemble more than 250,000 MEB battery systems per year on the newly constructed production line, for which the company has invested about 130 million euros. In addition to Skoda branded electric cars, these batteries will power MEB models made by Volkswagen, Audi and SEAT in Europe.
"Today is a very special day for Skoda. By launching the production of MEB battery systems, we are now manufacturing the absolute key component at the heart of the company. This means we have achieved another goal towards our successful transition to electromobility. Our objective is clear: we want to produce E-components or E-vehicles at all three Czech plants by 2030", said Michael Oeljeklaus, ŠKODA AUTO Board Member for Production and Logistics.
The facility will make three kinds of battery systems. The smallest version with eight modules has a capacity of 55 kWh, and the medium version with nine modules stores 62 kWh. The largest battery with 12 modules boasts an 82-kWh capacity. In addition to the modules, each containing 24 cells, the components of an MEB battery system include a battery housing with integrated cooling system, a battery management system and the requisite electrical connections.
The company also manufactures other e-components in Mladá Boleslav, including high-voltage traction batteries that are used in the Skoda Superb iV, Octavia iV, and in plug-in hybrid vehicles of other VW Group brands since 2019.
Christian Bleiel, Head of Component Production at Skoda Auto, said, "Our new MEB battery system assembly line sets standards in efficiency, automation, precision, cleanliness and digitalization. When it comes to commissioning the complex plant technology, we are drawing on the expertise and experience we have gained over the decades and relying on our highly motivated and qualified staff".
In collaboration with VW Group Components and our partner companies and suppliers, we are taking an important step in the transition from the combustion engine to electromobility by manufacturing battery systems, he added. "We will be reaching the next milestone at the end of 2023 when we bring the second expansion stage online, enabling us to produce more than 380,000 battery systems a year in total".
According to 'Skoda Strategy 2030', the car manufacturer plans to produce e-vehicles or e-components in three production sites by the end of this decade. By then, the company expects to have increased the share of all-electric car sales in Europe to between 50 and 70 per cent, depending on market developments.
To achieve this, Skoda will continue to electrify its model portfolio over the coming years. By 2030, the range will include at least three more BEVs, all of which will be below the Enyaq iV in terms of price and size.
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