Scania announces battery factory and laboratory plans

Scania is to build a battery assembly plant and laboratory at its research and development site in Södertälje, Sweden.

The former will be an 18,000sq m facility, costing more than 1bn Swedish Krona (£87.9m). Construction is due to start in early 2021 and it is expected to be fully operational by 2023.

The factory will be built adjacent to the existing chassis assembly plant and will construct battery modules and packs from cells supplied by Northvolt’s battery factory in Skellefteå. It will be staffed by 200 personnel “most recruited from within the company” and comprise “highly automated” operations.

The laboratory is a €15.5m (£13.8m) investment, spanning 1,000sq m, construction of which began recently. It is due for completion by spring 2021 and tipped to be fully operational the following autumn.

It will contain three 250sq m test halls for battery cells, modules and packs, alongside facilities for test sample preparation, and will primarily focus on performance and lifespan in conditions from between -40°C to 70°C in an effort to understand the best operational conditions for truck batteries.

Commenting on the factory, the manufacturer’s head of production and logistics Ruthger de Vries, said: “This is a tangible manifestation of our determination to take a leading role in heavy vehicle electrification, which is needed to fulfil our commitment to science-based climate targets.

“Operating an on-site battery assembly plant is a prerequisite for large-scale production of electric vehicles and it also establishes Scania clearly as a part of the battery production value chain.”

Referring to the laboratory, head of research and development Claes Erixon said: “With the accelerating pace of development, the laboratory will strengthen our capacity to right-size batteries for every application.

“We have an ambitious roadmap ahead of us in annually launching new and updated electric products with related battery services. This underscores the need for world-class skills and knowledge in battery usage and lifecycle optimisation.”