The Ghent, Belgium, truck facility of Volvo Group has said that it would begin manufacturing battery modules in 2025. Cells and modules have been provided to the group thus far only through partnerships. Another crucial step for Volvo Group in defining its future value chain for battery systems is the investment decision to establish battery module production capacity in Ghent.
They will be able to use battery cells from partners as well as the envisioned battery cell factory in Sweden thanks to the new battery module manufacturing line in Ghent.
“We have begun the investment process to create the production of battery modules in Ghent. The structure will be situated within the Volvo Group manufacturing facility and be 12,000 m2 in size. Robots will be used in an almost fully automated procedure at the new high-tech module plant. As a result, individuals who possess the requisite skills will be sought out both internally and internationally, according to says Jens Holtinger , Executive Vice President of Group Trucks Operations.
For this initial round of module manufacture, Volvo Group intends to invest 75 million euros.
Nearly 95,000 people work at the Volvo Group truck manufacturing plant in Gothenburg, Sweden, which serves clients in more than 190 markets. The first international company to produce heavy-duty electric trucks is Volvo Group. Volvo Trucks is starting series production of the electric variants of its heavy-duty truck lineup, which includes the Volvo FH, Volvo FM, and Volvo FMX. The three types of these trucks, which have a combined operating weight of 44 tonnes, account for around two thirds of all sales for the company.
In September , Volvo Trucks President Roger Alm stated: “This is a milestone and proves that we are driving the industry’s evolution. Less than two years have passed since we first displayed our large electric trucks. We are currently increasing production and will soon ship these fantastic vehicles to customers throughout Europe, as well as customers in Asia, Australia, and Latin America.
“We have sold over 2,600 electric trucks overall and over 1,000 heavy electric truck units. In the upcoming years, we anticipate a major growth in volumes. According to Roger Alm, by 2030, at least half of the trucks we sell worldwide should be electric.
The Ghent plant will begin making battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles in the second half of 2023. The Ghent factory manufactures the battery packs required to power these electric trucks.
The ramp-up of electric vehicles will require significant quantities of high-performing batteries produced using fossil-free energy, according to Volvo President and CEO Martin Lundstedt, who stated this on October 20. “It is a logical next step for us to include battery production in our future industrial footprint,” he added.
Another crucial step for Volvo Group in defining its future value chain for battery systems is the investment decision to establish battery module production capacity in Ghent.
“The Volvo Group continued to see rapid growth in Q3 2022. With solid growth in both the sales of automobiles and the service sector, we grew our net revenues by 35% to SEK 114.9 billion. With an adjusted operating margin of 10.3%, the adjusted operating income increased to SEK 11.9 billion (9.4) (11.0). A good operating cash flow of SEK 14.6 billion (-5.7) in Industrial Operations was facilitated by a decrease in working capital. According to Lundstedt, return on capital employed increased to 27.4% from 25.6.
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