Top 8 battery gigafactory plans in 2019
Tesla is the latest to join the fray, with plans for a gigafactory on the outskirts of Berlin. It already has a German subsidiary that develops the automation equipment for its US and Chinese factories.
- TESLA FACTORY WILL BOOST ELECTRIC VEHICLE CLUSTER IN BERLIN
- TESLA TURNS TO GERMANY FOR BATTERY AUTOMATION
Chinese battery maker CATL is also building a battery gigafactory in Germany, breaking ground on the plant in Thuringia to be ready for production of 14GWh of battery packs by 2022.
Swedish startup Northvolt is part of several gigafactory plans across Europe, from Sweden to Germany. Partner VW is also working on several gigafactories across Germany.
- NORTHVOLT TO BUILD GERMAN BATTERY FACTORY WITH VOLKSWAGEN
- VOLKSWAGEN STARTS PILOT BATTERY PRODUCTION LINE
- VW SETS UP ANOTHER BATTERY UNION FOR EUROPE
BMZ is one of the major battery makers in Europe, expanding its plant in Karlstein, which claims to be Europe’s largest manufacturer of lithium-ion battery systems. After acquiring a majority stake in the TerraE consortium, it plans to start cell production in 2020, as well as battery packs for electric trucks.
France has not been left out, with SAFT building a Gigafactory in Kaiserslautern, Germany at a car plant formerly owned by Opel.
The UK is still working on its plans, with over £100m for the Battery Industrialisation Centre (UKBIC) in Coventry as the stepping stone to a gigafactory.
