The VW truck subsidiary Traton is examining the construction of another battery factory for electric trucks for its MAN and Scania brands. Possible locations include Salzgitter and Krakow Poland or Zwolle in the Netherlands is being considered, a MAN spokesman told the German Press Agency.
The considerations are still in an early phase. The decision on whether to build its own factory will probably be made in the fall, said the spokesman. Production could not start until the early 2030s at the earliest. Purchasing the electricity storage from a supplier is also conceivable. The “Braunschweiger Zeitung” had previously reported.
According to the report, Lower Saxony’s Economics Minister Olaf Lies (57) was confident that he would be able to bring the new Traton location to Salzgitter. “I am quite sure that we can make it clear in many places that Lower Saxony and especially Salzgitter would be the ideal location,” said the SPD politician. The Traton parent company Volkswagen is already building its own battery cell factory in Salzgitter, which is scheduled to start in 2025. MAN operates a components factory in the city that has so far primarily supplied axles.
Daimler Truck starts construction in Mississippi
The Stuttgart commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler trucks is building its first battery cell factory together with partners in the USA. Construction has begun in the US state of Mississippi and the first sod has been broken, the company announced. The start of production is planned for 2027.
The associated joint venture Amplify Cell Technologies was announced last September. Daimler Truck entered into a partnership with Accelera – a division of the US engine manufacturer Cummins – and the US truck manufacturer Paccar.
A facility measuring more than 185,000 square meters with an annual production capacity of 21 gigawatt hours is now to be built on the 500 hectare site in Byhalia. Mathematically, that would be enough for 35,000 electric trucks with a battery capacity of 600 kilowatt hours. More than 2,000 jobs are expected to be created in the factory.
Topping out ceremony at MAN in Nuremberg in autumn
For Traton, the new factory would be the third battery location of its own after Södertäje in Sweden, where production started in September 2023, and the MAN battery factory under construction in Nuremberg, which is scheduled to open in 2025. MAN wants to celebrate the topping-out ceremony there in the fall. Unlike Daimler Truck and VW, no battery cells will be created here. The cells will be purchased externally and then assembled into batteries, said the spokesman.
Up to 100,000 battery modules per year are to be produced in Nuremberg, which, according to MAN, would be enough for around 20,000 electric trucks. The same capacity is also planned for the new location. According to the “Braunschweiger Zeitung”, the investment volume would be around 200 million euros.
Shared location with Scania
In view of the planned ramp-up of electric trucks, it is already clear that the capacities of the two existing plants will no longer be sufficient in the 2030s, said the MAN spokesman. We are therefore already examining how battery production can be expanded. Unlike the previous two MAN and Scania factories, the new location will then supply both Traton brands.
MAN wants to start delivering its new eTGX electric truck this year, with 1,500 units expected to be sold next year. By 2040, MAN wants to deliver every second truck with an electric drive. According to the company, that would be around 40,000 per year.