Daimler lays foundation for one of the biggest and most modern battery factories in the world

By laying the foundation for one of the biggest and most modern battery factories, Daimler AG is setting new standards in the international automotive industry, thereby taking the next strategic step in its electric offensive.

At the wholly-owned subsidiary ACCUMOTIVE in Kamenz, the second factory for lithium-ion batteries is built with an investment of around 500 million euros. Guests of honour at the ceremony were Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Stanislaw Tillich (Minister President of Saxony), who, together with Dieter Zetsche (Chairman of the Board of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars) laid the casing of a vehicle battery as the foundation stone.

“The automotive industry is facing a fundamental transformation and we see ourselves as the driving force behind this change,” says Dieter Zetsche. “The battery factory in Kamenz is an important component in the implementation of our electric offensive. By 2022, we will have more than ten purely electric passenger cars in series. We also continue to drive forward the hybridisation of our fleet. Under the EQ brand, we are creating a holistic ecosystem for e-mobility.”

The investment of Daimler strengthens the region as a major innovation hub for the German automotive industry and offers employees good prospects in a future-oriented technology field. The Federal Chancellor and the Saxon Minister President were able to get an impression during a tour through the existing battery factory with two employees working in production.

The German Chancellor’s visit at ACCUMOTIVE underlines the importance of electric mobility in Germany. The second battery factory has been designed as a CO2-neutral factory with an energy balance of zero: Daimler’s approach to electric mobility is an integrated one, attaching key importance to sustainability already at the production stage. The production facilities will be supplied with energy from a combined heat and power plant and a photovoltaic plant in combination with stationary battery storage units. With state-of-the-art facilities and technologies, the new battery factory will also set standards regarding Industry 4.0.

With the Concept EQ, Mercedes-Benz Cars is presenting a new generation of electric vehicles. More than ten new electric passenger cars are scheduled to be launched by 2022: in all segments from smart to large SUVs. Ten billion euros will be invested in the expansion of the electric fleet in the next few years. The new electric vehicles will be produced within the global, highly flexible and efficient production network of Mercedes-Benz Cars with plants on four continents. The first EQ series model will roll off the line at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Bremen at the end of the decade. In addition to that, luxury-class EQ models will be produced at the plant in Sindelfingen.

The company assumes that the proportion of electric vehicles in the total unit sales of Mercedes-Benz will be between 15 and 25% by 2025. In addition to traction batteries, ACCUMOTIVE will produce batteries for Mercedes-Benz energy storage units and 48-volt-systems. The pioneering 48-volt on-board power supply is celebrating its premiere in the new generation of the S-Class and will be gradually introduced in various model series.

Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) is the only authorised distributor for Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Sri Lanka for more than seven decades. The new Mercedes-Benz Centre – DIMO 800 is the most modern and the largest service centre in the region.