The Chinese battery manufacturer SVOLT will not be building two factories in Saarland after all the company is discontinuing its operational business in Europe SVOLT had already cancelled its plans for a factory in Brandenburg in May A ministry spokesperson said that SVOLT’s announcement described the move as a “strategic decision,” citing the weak market for electric vehicles in Europe as one of the reasons SVOLT had asked the ministry to hold talks soon to clarify everything else SVOLT’s plans in Europe have thus turned out to be a pipe dream. In May 2024 SVOLT had already cancelled its plans for a battery factory in Lauchhammer but was still sticking to its plans in Saarland at the time According to Saarländischer Rundfunk (SR), SVOLT is said to have abandoned the planned battery factory on the Linslerfeld near Überherrn months ago, citing the difficult situation on the European electric car market, among other things. According to information from SR, BMW has backed out as a customer And now the plans for the second Saarland site in Heusweiler are also history SVOLT Europe is said to have authorised a law firm to dismiss all employees at the end of September Around half of the former 50 SVOLT employees are said to have already been dismissed the Saarbrücken Labour Court is currently dealing with three dismissal protection claims from those affected hopes for a sustainable automotive and supplier industry in the federal state have vanished into thin air for the time being Michelin in Homburg and Thyssenkrupp in Wadern-Lockweiler are on the brink of closure and there are massive job cuts at Bosch in Homburg I agree with the Privacy policy electrive has been following the development of electric mobility with journalistic passion and expertise since 2013 we offer comprehensive coverage of the highest quality — as a central platform for the rapid development of this technology the battery division of Great Wall Motors that was spun off in 2018 is cancelling its plans for European battery factories After the cell factory in Brandenburg was cancelled at the end of May the Chinese company has now also pulled out of the site in Saarland This means that all of Svolt's plans for Europe have been cancelled Svolt confirmed this to the Chinese news agency Yicai on Wednesday The weak demand for electric cars in Europe was cited as the reason for the decision Svolt offers cobalt-free NMX battery cells Svolt had already announced battery production in Saarland in 2020 It was to consist of a cell factory in Überherrn and a module and battery production facility in Heusweiler Svolt wanted to invest around €2 billion in the project; the annual capacity was to be 24 GWh In 2021, Svolt signed a contract with Stellantis for the supply of lithium-ion batteries from 2025 but there were several delays at the plant in Saarland.  In 2022 Svolt therefore announced the construction of a battery cell factory in Lauchhammer Brandenburg on an existing industrial site This was to have an annual capacity of 16 GWh These plans were then cancelled in May 2024 and the plant in Überherrn was also on the back burner while Svolt wanted to retain the Heusweiler site Now none of the three factories will be built This is what the cell plant in Saarland should look like one day The largest cell factory in Germany to date is the CATL plant near Erfurt with an annual capacity of 8 GWh There is also a cell factory operated by the Swiss company Leclanché in Willstätt near Kehl which produces cells with LTO and NMCA chemistry (lithium titanate and nickel-manganese cobalt aluminium) Production capacity is to be increased to 2.5 GWh the cells are not intended for electric cars ferries and stationary energy storage systems Many companies are currently putting a question mark behind all investments related to electric cars this will probably not remain so weak for all time; if the EU's fleet limits for 2025 remain in place And then there will be calls everywhere for cells from Europe again Our cover picture shows a rendering of the module production facility in Heusweiler The Cadillac Celestiq Will Be as Rare as a Bugatti 2026 Jeep Compass Unveiled: Hybrid or EV With Up to 375 HP Nissan Abandons Plan For US-Built Electric Sedans Lotus Emira With Yellow Exhaust Tips Pays Tribute to an F1 GOAT Confirmed: Nissan Frontier Plug-In Hybrid (Update) Nissan Exec Suggests GT-R and Acura NSX Could Share a Platform has announced it will abandon plans to build two factories in Saarland and will also shut down its European operations entirely by January 2025 This decision follows an earlier cancellation of another gigafactory in Germany in May even after some equipment had been installed SVOLT originally planned to establish a cell manufacturing facility in Überherrn alongside a battery assembly facility in Heusweiler these projects will now be scrapped as part of what the company describes as a strategic decision driven primarily by the underperformance of the European EV market The battery assembly facility in Heusweiler was to be commissioned first producing battery modules and packs with cells imported from outside Europe The cell manufacturing facility was intended to follow SVOLT’s revenue strategy in Europe differed from its operations in Asia Although no formal supply contracts were confirmed BMW was rumoured to have a contract in place and SVOLT reported being in “contact and exchange with all European OEMs.” European battery manufacturing has faced significant challenges over … the past year. Northvolt, a major player in the sector, scaled back its expansion plans, cancelling or pausing several projects. Additionally, it lost a high value contract with BMW after cell samples failed to meet BMW’s standards Volkswagen also reduced the planned capacity of its gigafactory in Salzgitter citing lacklustre EV sales growth across Europe This announcement came as Volkswagen was beginning to show signs of stress within the automotive industry Elsewhere, ACC, a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis, and TotalEnergies, paused development on two of its planned gigafactories in Germany and Italy the Italian government withdrew funding for ACC’s facility in Italy citing the group’s failure to make a firm commitment to the site Many of the changes in Europe’s gigafactory and battery pipeline have cited the European EV market as the primary reason for altering or cancelling plans.  Within Europe year-to-date (Jan-September) EV sales are down 4% although this figure obscures considerable regional differences In markets such as the UK and the Netherlands EV sales are up 14% and 7.8%, respectively, and widely in Europe BEV sales have risen 12% year-on-year. However, EV sales in Germany, Europe’s largest automotive market, have declined by 20% year-to-date, largely due to the government’s unexpected phase out of EV subsidies in December 2023 and Sweden have also seen minor declines in EV sales SVOLT is just one of multiple players reassessing commitment in response to uneven market growth and shifting policy landscapes across the region For more information about the EV and battery markets see our research or get in touch.Image credit: SVOLT For full access to our news and insights, log in to our Membership Platform If you’re not yet a member and would like a trial we will offer daily important automotive news in China the title of the piece will include a hyperlink electric vehicle startup Lucid Motors has released job listings via its LinkedIn account for 14 jobs in China The positions under recruitment involve such fields as digital informatization Joyson Electronics begins new-round R&D of 800V platform energy management system The automotive component supplier Joyson Eletronics today announced via its WeChat account that it has launched a new round of R&D for the core technologies related to 800V high-voltage platform electric vehicle energy management system SVOLT signs lease for future module & pack factory in Heusweiler SVOLT and the executive board members from Projektgesellschaft Batteriefabrik Heusweiler (PBH) symbolically signed the lease for the future module and high-voltage storage production facility The facility is being built on the site of the former "Laminate Park" in Heusweiler-Eiweiler The 15-year lease emphasizes SVOLT’s long-term plans in the German state of Saarland and secures a possible right of first refusal as well Chinese chassis developer Trugo Tech to build chassis-by-wire factory in Changshu 14 via its WeChat account that its new energy vehicle (NEV)-dedicated chassis-by-wire product manufacturing factory will be built in the Economic & Technological Development Zone of Changshu city GAC Group's mobility service platform Ontime launches Robotaxi car management system GAC Group's ride-hailing service platform officially launched its Robotaxi vehicle management system on December 14 Geely Auto's first 6V5R NOA system-powered vehicle rolls off line Geely Auto saw the first user-delivery vehicle armed with its 6V5R (six cameras and five millimeter-wave radars) NOA system roll off the production line BYD joins hands with ASTARA to sell new energy passenger vehicles in Chile Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturer BYD announced its cooperation with ASTARA for the exclusive representation and sale of BYD's new energy passenger vehicle (NEPV) models in the Chilean market Black Sesame Technologies receives investment from Dongfeng Motor a Chinese autonomous driving computing chips supplier announced on December 14 that it received a strategic investment from Dongfeng Motor's Dongfeng Asset Management NIO to launch NT2.0-based new-generation ES8 at NIO Day 2022 NIO is about to launch two new models at the NIO Day 2022 to be held on Dec including the second-generation NIO ES8 built on the company's second-generation technology platform (NT2.0) and an all-new model revealed at an annual media event earlier this week Gasgoo not only offers timely news and profound insight about China auto industry, but also help with business connection and expansion for suppliers and purchasers via multiple channels and methods. Buyer service:buyer-support@gasgoo.comSeller Service:seller-support@gasgoo.com This entry remains in the Atlas as a record of its history but it is no longer accessible to visitors Faraday cages are remarkably simple technology but that simplicity belies the fact that such a simple device may be the only thing standing between you and an instant electrified death The stakes are not quite so high as instant death at the Heusweiler motorway To calm fears that the enormous radio power could disturb passing car's electronic systems resulting in breakdowns of all kinds a cable network was spun over the motorway serving as a Faraday Cage The term Faraday Cage refers to the enclosures developed in 1836 by scientist Michael Faraday A barrier of conductive material is used to block electrical charges which will follow the path of least resistance across the surface of the "cage," rather than breaking through The effectiveness of the cage depends on the type of charge being blocked and the design on the cage A recently restored substation that dates from 1875 A synth musician's paradise at the heart of a community responsible for the soundtrack to 'Stranger Things.' the stoplights in this northern Icelandic town have glowing red hearts The Tudor-style cottage in the middle of the square is not quite what it seems It is still illegal to "quarrel" at this unlikely urban oasis built on top of an electrical substation The world's largest "Christmas tree" is illuminated by hundreds of lights stretching 2,000 feet up the slope of Mount Ingino This stockpile of junked electronic and mechanical gadgets is a favorite among Hollywood prop masters Home » Battery News the power battery maker that spun off from Great Wall Motor will build a battery cell plant for the European market in Lauchhammer the company announced on its official WeChat account on September 9 The plant will be Svolt Energy's first battery cell plant for overseas markets and its second overseas plant It previously owned a battery pack plant in Heusweiler The facility previously served as a wind turbine manufacturing facility for wind power giant Vestas and Svolt Energy will upgrade it with plans already in the works Svolt Energy's investment will not only give the Vestas plant a new life but will also contribute to the structural optimization of the electric vehicle industry in the Brandenburg region said Brandenburg state premier Dietmar Woidke has been forming a cluster for innovative electric vehicle development in recent years which is an important reason why Svolt Energy is locating its second project abroad in the region Many companies in Svolt Energy's supply chain and battery lifecycle are located in the region -- such as globally known materials giant BASF which entered into a partnership with it in late 2021 to work together on battery materials and their recycling Svolt Energy plans to produce the cells at its Lauchhammer-based facility and process them into packs at its plant in Heusweiler Lauchhammer's location advantage helps Svolt Energy serve current customers' projects in a timely manner and meet its expansion capacity goals in Europe more quickly Svolt Energy became independent from Great Wall Motor's power battery division in February 2018 to work on next-generation battery materials the company announced that its first cobalt-free battery rolled off the production line in mass production and was the first such product in the world to come out of the lab and into mass production Svolt Energy announced that its all-solid-state battery lab had developed China's first 20Ah-class sulfide all-solid-state prototype cells with an energy density of 350-400 Wh/kg Once the cells are mass-produced, they could enable electric vehicles to achieve a range of more than 1,000 kilometers Svolt Energy is one of China's largest power cell manufacturers, ranking sixth in August with a 2.49 percent market share in the country according to data released earlier this month by the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance Svolt Energy is also one of the world's largest power battery makers, with a 1.3 percent share in January-July The Chinese battery cell manufacturer SVOLT will build its European battery cell factory in the German state of Saarland The cell factory itself is to be built in Überherrn and an assembly of modules and packs in Heusweiler Cell production is scheduled to start at the end of 2023 Representatives of SVOLT Europe and the minister-president of the state of Saarland Tobias Hans made the announcement at a press conference The Chinese company’s European cell factory is to be built on 840,000 square meters in Überherrn with a capacity of 24 GWh per year in the final expansion stage The cell factory is to start production at the end of 2023 A second SVOLT site in Saarland is scheduled to start operations as early as mid-2022 which is about 30 kilometres from Überherrn modules and packs are to be assembled from battery cells and delivered to the car manufacturers ready for installation the Chinese company will invest up to two billion euros in the state for the two sites and up to 2,000 jobs are to be created in the final expansion stage “We have selected Saarland as our first European production site for SVOLT’s high-end products for a number of reasons: It is not only at the heart of Europe but also represents a region of innovation and technology for the automotive industry,” said SVOLT Energy President Hongxin Yang in a video message Yang could not attend the event in the state chancellery due to corona restrictions “The car is one of the central pillars of Saarland as an industrial location,” said Minister-President Hans “We want to be at the forefront of the structural change in the automotive industry and develop our federal state into a cluster for innovation in Europe especially in and for the automotive industry it is about playing a leading role in the development of environmentally-friendly vehicles of the future We are pursuing a sustainable and innovative mobility concept we can safeguard jobs as well as the attractiveness of Saarland as a place to live and work and at the same time ensure that we maintain our leading position as a car state.” Saarland is a car country,” said German Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier “We want to remain that way in the future but also the EU Commission are pulling together to accompany the change” Saarland has thus prevailed among 32 candidates throughout Europe Saarland is characterised by five factors” says SVOLT European President Kai-Uwe Wollenhaupt “These are the available and qualified employees the central location in the European economic area an excellent infrastructure and the existing environment of international and innovative companies” Wollenhaupt justified the decision for two sites instead of the original plan with one plant by citing a “significantly higher implementation speed” the assembly in Heusweiler is an existing building that SVOLT is converting for its purposes This work can be carried out in parallel with the construction of the actual cell factory SVOLT intends to build a cathode material plant and a research centre in Europe in addition to the actual cell factory A research centre in Saarland is to follow later But there was no longer any talk of a cathode material factory SVOLT will focus on the development of subsystems such as battery cells modules and control systems in Europe according to market conditions” responsible use of natural resources is at the heart of all associated activities we are working to establish a transparent supply chain and to continuously improve our production technologies and recycling processes.” Überherrn could also produce the cobalt-free battery cells that the company announced in July 2019 It was now announced that the test phase in the vehicles is about to be completed and the technology will be available to all customers next year Some of the cells from Saarland are expected to go to PSA The French group reportedly signed a supply contract with SVOLT for seven GWh the cells could be installed in the Citroën e-C3 SVOLT is confident that the factory can quickly be filled with cells for other car manufacturers The company is in active discussion with all European car manufacturers the economic development agency of the Saarland as gwSaar managing director Thomas Schuck stated gwSaar will also construct the buildings on behalf of SVOLT Later it will be decided whether the facilities will be sold to SVOLT or only rented out for the time being there is still neither a sales contract for the site nor a building permit the first contact with the company was made “very informally” at the beginning of the year A high level of confidentiality was maintained until the very end with only a few employees from the State Chancellery and the Ministry of Economics being involved Hans could also not help but make a small dig at Elon Musk when he pointed out that in other companies the location issue is publicly discussed on Twitter The Saarland was also in the race for the European Gigafactory or had brought itself into the game even though Lower Saxony was considered the public favourite Source: press conference via webcast, svolt-eu.com Chinese battery manufacturer SVOLT will not set up a manufacturing site in the German state of Brandenburg The company says it has reassessed its location strategy - and cannot resist taking a jab at German politicians The company’s press release states: “In addition to an already low level of planning security at various levels – from the threat of international punitive tariffs to market distortions due to protracted and unevenly distributed subsidies,” a “significant customer project has also been cancelled.” In addition ‘the renewed discussions about the end of the combustion engine in the EU are counterproductive to the planned localisation efforts.” “The automotive market is currently struggling with considerable fluctuations and challenges all over the world mainly driven by the transformation to electric mobility,” says Kai-Uwe Wollenhaupt President SVOLT Europe & Senior Vice President of SVOLT Energy Technology Company Ltd “It has led to some drastic strategy adjustments for some car manufacturers.” SVOLT announced in September 2022 that it would set up another cell production facility for the European market – with a capacity of 16 GWh The company had taken over a plant in Lauchhammer where Vestas previously produced blades for wind turbines Production was to start at the beginning of 2025 The press release does not mention how much the company invested in the site before cancelling its plans it has already paid for conversion work on the existing buildings and the installation of the battery production systems However, it also means SVOLT won’t produce cells in Europe for quite some time. It does confirm that it will set up a manufacturing facility in Überherrn SVOLT’s first European factory was initially supposed to be up and running by the end of 2023 But construction has been repeatedly delayed for various reasons there is no planning certainty and thus no progress “The Überherrn municipal council’s resolution is still awaiting approval from the responsible ministry planning permission has not yet been granted lawsuits against the construction project have already been announced it is currently impossible to predict when we will have final legal certainty legal certainty is an essential prerequisite and the basis for planning how to proceed the next step is the final economic feasibility study SVOLT Europe estimates that this process will still take some time Any more precise information on the timeline would be purely speculative as many things are outside the responsibility and sphere of influence of SVOLT Europe,’ the company explains – and emphasises that it currently has no “immediate obligations” at the site as this is still the responsibility of Struktur Holding Saar (SHS) It will, therefore, be several years before the company has its own cell production, but SVOLT intends to assemble battery modules and packs from imported cells in Europe soon. That will take place in Heusweiler about 30 minutes northeast of the planned production site in Überherrn “We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for the support cooperation and trust placed in us at both local and state level in Brandenburg and Saarland as well as with our partners,” says Wollenhaupt We will utilise all opportunities available to us to implement positive impulses for the economy and the environment together with our customers and partners.” In addition to the location strategy, SVOLT also reassessed its sales model. The company wants to concentrate on the sale of customised battery systems for EVs (SVOLT supplies the LFP batteries for the Citroen e-C3 and its sister models for example) and “place an additional focus on business areas in which standardised batteries and their systems can be used which are easier to scale and quicker to implement.” That includes traction batteries for commercial vehicles stationary energy storage systems and their battery cells and applications in the non-automotive sector “We continue to see ourselves as an innovation partner to the automotive industry the current market situation suggests diversification to secure our economic future in the medium term,” says Wollenhaupt “This is a decisive step towards becoming more resilient to market fluctuations and making a significant contribution to the global energy transition Adapting our sales orientation is therefore an investment in the future.” the battery cell manufacturer that emerged from the Chinese carmaker Great Wall has begun setting up a plant in Thailand for the assembly of battery modules and packs for electric and hybrid cars two production lines are planned – one for the production of battery modules and one for battery pack assembly with an annual capacity of 60,000 units SVOLT will supply the batteries to existing customers such as Great Wall Motor and Hozon but is also negotiating with potential new customers in Thailand but a locally leased facility will be converted This also explains the short phase between the current start of construction and the planned completion in six months at the latest The battery modules produced in Thailand are to be used in full hybrids SVOLT itself does not name an investment sum but the local medium Cailian reportedly mentioned an investment sum of 30 million dollars last month The company currently has eleven production sites in China and is planning five battery cell factories in Europe the company aims to have a production capacity of at least 50 gigawatt-hours in Europe by the end of the decade this does not fall under the potential five production sites in Europe where cells are to come off the production line SVOLT’s Dragon Armor Battery is not a new cell chemistry with higher energy density Depending on the chemistry of the cells used in the Dragon Armor Battery ranges of over 800 kilometres (LFP) to over 1,000 kilometres (NCM) should be possible SVOLT has started production of battery packs in Thailand The first battery pack that has now rolled off the production line is a 60 kWh battery with LFP cells which Ora will use in its electric model Good Cat The plant has two production lines – one for battery modules and one for battery packs with an annual capacity of 60,000 units After the battery company had started producing its first locally-made packs in late 2023 as reported above volume production for several brands is underway SVOLT has confirmed building another cell factory for the European battery industry in Germany is a former wind turbine plant owned by Vestas This is to make up for the delays SVOLT is now facing in Saarland. The Chinese company has been planning to produce battery cells in central Europe for some time and had confirmed factories in the German state of Saarland in November 2020 SVOLT aims to make cells near the town of Überherrn the new plans in Brandenburg come on the back of said delays at the Saarland sites SVOLT is planning to start production in Brandenburg in early 2025 VP of Sales & Marketing of SVOLT Europe The company targets an initial capacity of 16 GWh That sounds like construction will quick (and rushed) The former Vestas site is a so-called brownfield project from the previous owner at the end of August and will now “repurpose the majority of the existing halls” rebuilding measures and extension works will also be necessary and realised in the near future The company adds that it was developing a master plan including a detailed schedule for all modernisation and building measures the construction of the Saarland sites will take much longer than planned According to the Saarbrücker Zeitung paper Kramskoy does not expect SVOLT to produce battery cells in Überherrn before 2027 – that is four years later than initially announced Even though Heusweiler builds on an existing building like Brandenburg there would also be delays at this second Saarland site for the assembly of modules and packs Production was supposed to start in the middle of this year with parts from other SVOLT plants Now the company says it will only begin assembly by February 2024 Hantsch-Kramskoj did not detail the reasons for the delay but pointed to the project being “very complex” The Saarland sites would get the time they require Still, SVOLT has to deliver another driver for selecting the Lauchhammer site reasonably quickly. So far, PSA is confirmed as a customer and signed an option for 7 GWh as reported President of SVOLT Europe & VP of SVOLT Energy Technology said he was happy that they were able to conclude the conversations with Vestas timely and take over the site also went on to “explicitly thank all those involved for their dedicated efforts to bring a successor company to the former Vestas site as swiftly as possible.” The site offers 255,000 square metres of space and SVOLT has the right of first refusal on an adjacent free area of another 71,000 sqm Hantsch-Kramskoj referred to the project as a “gigafactory” when speaking to the local press the new factory won’t compare to the Tesla plant in Grünheide As for synergies between the plants in Brandenburg and Saarland SVOLT expects to utilise battery cells produced in Lauchhammer at the future assembly site in Heusweiler At least until the Saarland cell factory comes online SVOLT aims to produce between 22 and 32 Gwh That is batteries for about 300,000 to 500,000 e-vehicles per year SVOLT has not disclosed which cells may be made in Brandenburg (and Saarland) the company has pushed cobalt-free battery cells since July 2019 These have undergone testing for at least two years now and the result promises a range of over 1,000 kilometres for electric cars in future svolt-eu.com, saarbruecker-zeitung.de (delay Saarland