Scania has this month opened a new purpose-built battery assembly plant as it continues towards its goal of reaching 50 per cent of vehicle sales that are battery-powered by 2030.
Located in Södertälje, Sweden, the factory will take battery cells produced jointly by Scania and Northvolt in northern Sweden and assemble them into modules and then into battery packs, to be transferred to the assembly line, located within the same production precinct.
“At Scania, we have made it our purpose to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system. With the battery assembly plant in operation, we have one of the key enablers in place to accelerate the shift to electrification,” said Christian Levin, president and CEO Scania and Traton Group.
He continued, “The shift to electrified solutions is the biggest transformation in the history of transport, and 2023 is the year when it truly takes off.
“The proof points are being launched one by one, and the 1.5 billion SEK (AU$210 million) investment in this new battery assembly plant is one of them.”
In April 2023, Scania and Northvolt unveiled a jointly developed battery cell, specifically designed for heavy-duty transport, with a uniquely low carbon footprint.
These cells are produced at the Northvolt ETT gigafactory in northern Sweden and will be assembled into packs at the new 18,000-square-metre plant, enabling the start of series production of Scania’s electric trucks for regional transport.
The installed capacity at the factory allows it to handle one battery cell every second, while a battery pack is produced every four minutes.
The module line is fully automated with 38 robots doing the work. The pack line is around 50 per cent automated, with 34 robots and employees working together. The assembled packs form battery systems tailored for Scania’s modular vehicle manufacturing.
The assembly plant will work around the clock to supply the chassis production line with the batteries it needs. A typical truck could contain up to 1000 battery cells formed into modules and packs, which can weigh up to 1200kg.
Annual battery module capacity has been configured to match the total number of trucks built at the adjacent production facility.
Marcus Holm, head of production and logistics at Scania added that the battery packs can power trucks for 1.5 million kilometres.