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 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.” 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 A Dutch para-dressage team selfie at the competition in Uberherrn Joyce Heuitink (Chef D'Equipe) and Nicole Den Dulk A perfect 10 from Dutch rider Rixt Van Der Horst helped the Netherlands continue their impressive run of victories at the recent three star para-equestrian dressage competition held 4-5 July in Uberherrn Competing in the middle of a blistering heatwave and against an international field of riders from as far afield as Singapore the Dutch team took the majority of the individual medals and the Nations Cup team contest as well Grade II rider and current double World Champion Van Der Horst took both individual titles in her class riding Uniek N.O.P to score 73.619% in the individual test and 79.083% in the freestyle she finished ahead of Germany’s Steffen Zeibig in second place and the USA’s Rebecca Hart Van Der Horst secured a perfect score of 10 points for one of the moves in her individual test took the individual grade IV title on Alphaville N.O.P with 73.730% ahead of Russian rider Natalia Martyanova and France’s Nathalie Bizet Martyanova went one better to take the freestyle however taking the win with a score of 74.417% on Iilion ahead of Germany’s Carolin Schnarre and the Netherlands’ Sabine Peters The grade III category was again dominated by the Dutch with Lotte Krijnsen winning first (71.098%) and second place in the individual test on her horses Rosenstolz and Zarienta Sanne Voets completed the Dutch sweep with a third-place finish Krijnsen took the freestyle too (76.167%) ahead of France’s Louise Studer and another Dutch rider Austria’s Pepo Puch was dominant in the grade Ib competition Puch won the individual title (75.747%) ahead of the Netherlands’ Nicole Den Dulk and Canada’s Ashley Gowanlock in second and third place Those positions were repeated in the freestyle competition which Puch also took with a score of 78.083% Singapores Laurentia Tan scooped up both titles on Ruben James; Tan scored 75.725% for the individual test and 77.917% for the freestyle The competition preceded the Hartpury Festival of Dressage both events which provided a glimpse of prospects ahead of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Para-Equestrian Dressage European Championships in September in Deauville 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 The New Jeep Compass May Not Come to the US Nissan Abandons Plan For US-Built Electric Sedans The Toyota Corolla Looks Even Better With White Wheels Confirmed: Nissan Frontier Plug-In Hybrid (Update) The New Audi A6 Plug-In Hybrid Has a Decent Electric Range Nissan Exec Suggests GT-R and Acura NSX Could Share a Platform SVOLT Europe responds to current market developments: Expanded sales focus and adjustment of location strategy SVOLT Europe is expanding its sales focus and The reasons for this include the current highly volatile automotive market the current lack of planning and legal certainty for the construction of production facilities and the fact that an extensive customer project will not be realized as planned The automotive market is currently struggling with considerable fluctuations and challenges all over the world mainly driven by the transformation to electric mobility “This is leading to some drastic strategy adjustments for some car manufacturers in addition to already low planning certainty at various levels — from the threat of international punitive tariffs to market distortions due to lengthy and unevenly distributed subsidies — a significant customer project has now also been lost the renewed discussions about the end of combustion engines in the EU are having a counterproductive effect on the planned localization efforts.” In order to take account of this volatile market situation and remain competitive SVOLT Europe has expanded its sales focus and reassessed its location strategy the Lauchhammer site in Brandenburg will not be realized as planned The use of the site in Heusweiler in Saarland is still being planned in the context of the sales expansion that has now been decided The complete turnkey handover of the site will take place on July 1 “We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks for the support cooperation and trust placed in us at both the local and state levels in Brandenburg and Saarland I would also like to particularly emphasize the commitment of my colleagues who have worked so hard for the success of SVOLT in Europe,” SVOLT remains strongly committed to Europe We will take all opportunities to implement positive impulses for the economy and the environment together with our customers and partners.” The Überherrn municipal council’s resolution on the articles of association is still awaiting approval from the responsible ministry This means that the necessary building law and permit has not yet been created legal action against the construction project has already been announced as soon as the building law has been created It is therefore currently not possible to predict when final legal certainty will be achieved legal certainty is an essential prerequisite and therefore the crucial basis for planning how to proceed It would be pure speculation to provide more precise information on the timeline as many things are beyond SVOLT Europe’s control and sphere of influence SVOLT Europe has no other direct obligations in Überherrn Struktur Holding Saar (SHS) is currently responsible for the Linslerfeld Expansion of sales focus gives new perspective In addition to the sale of individualized battery systems for electric cars SVOLT Europe will now also focus on business areas in which standardized batteries and their systems can be used which are more easily scalable and quicker to implement These include batteries for commercial vehicles stationary energy storage systems and their battery cells (so-called Energy Storage Solutions or ESS for short) and applications in the non-automotive sector ensuring greater resilience and helping it become more future proof While the aim of the sales expansion is diversifying its product portfolio SVOLT also has the goal of being able to meet the already high demand for high-quality energy storage solutions outside of the passenger car sector in a more agile manner SVOLT’s strong international network guarantees that projects can be implemented quickly SVOLT Europe believes it is well positioned to operate optimally in a constantly changing market environment “Technological innovations continue to be the foundation of our strategy we have made considerable investments in the research and development of new battery technologies that are suitable for a wide range of applications we will focus this innovative strength more intensely on business areas from the non-automotive sector,” Drive batteries for electric cars remain important SVOLT Europe continues to consider electric car manufacturers target customers for the distribution of ESS solutions in Europe “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,” “This is a decisive step toward becoming more resilient to market fluctuations while also making a significant contribution to the global energy transition The shifting of our sales focus is therefore an investment in the future It shows our extensive commitment as a pioneer of technological development to offering innovative solutions that not only make economic sense but also have a positive impact on our environment.” READ the latest Batteries News shaping the battery market SVOLT Europe responds to current market developments: Expanded sales focus and adjustment of location strategy. source U Power Limited (NASDAQ:UCAR) Partners with Sumitomo Mitsui to Deliver Southeast Asia’s First Battery-Swapping Taxi Fleet in Phuket PHUKET 2025 /PRNewswire/ — U Power Limited (Nasdaq:.. Korean Battery Material Companies Seeking Chinese Partnerships to Penetrate European Market As Chinese battery companies rapidly expand in the European market Korean battery material firms are actively seeking.. Lithium Royalty Corp Announces Increased Price Range and Extension of Substantial Issuer Bid TORONTO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Lithium Royalty Corp (TSX: LIRC) (“LRC” or the “Company”).. COPYRIGHT POLICY DISCLAIMER TERMS & CONDITIONS PRIVACY POLICY We love meeting interesting people and making new friends Rien Ne Va Plus and Dalou Shan were the winner of the small Bundeschampionate qualifier held in Linslerhof Überherrn on 25 - 26 June 2011 At this competition the German Paralympic Championships took centre stage whereas the young horse classes only featured a limited amount of participants Corinna Schumacher and the bay Hanoverian mare Rien Ne Va Plus (by Rascalino) were the winners in the 5-year old dressage horse division trot and submission and 8.5 for general impression Finnish Terhi Stegars and the liver chestnut Oldenburg are Thai Pee (by Farewell III x Dormello) were second with 7.3 Stegars also took highest honour in the 6-year old division aboard the chestnut Oldenburg stallion Dalou Shan (by De Kooning x Westerland) The pair scored an overall of 8.0 with 7 for submission Günter Essig and the Oldenburg gelding Destino (by Donnerbube III x Calido I) were second with 6.7 Back to the 2011 Bundeschampionate Index Stalls for Rent at Durondeau Dressage in Peer, Belgium Exceptionally Well Located Equestrian Facility in Wellington, Florida Well-built Equestrian Estate With Multiple Business Opportunities in Sweden Stable Units for Rent at Lotje Schoots' Equestrian Center in Houten (NED) For Rent: Several Apartments and Stable Wing at High-End Equestrian Facility Stable Wing Available at Reiterhof Wensing on Dutch/German border Real Estate: Well-Appointed Country House with Extensive Equestrian Facility in the U.K. Rémi Blot After the Chinese battery manufacturer SVOLT declared in September that it would not realise its cell factory in Brandenburg insiders are now reporting that the planned production of modules and packs in Saarland has also been cancelled The background to this is said to be a fundamental decision in China Several people familiar with the matter told the Chinese media company Caixin that SVOLT had decided to suspend the construction of both battery factory projects in Germany There is no timetable for the resumption of work The reason given for this is that SVOLT is experiencing financial difficulties in China and cannot afford to operate factories abroad We have asked SVOLT Europe to comment on the reports the Frankfurt-based company declined to comment and referred to SVOLT in China We have also made an enquiry there and will add the statement to the article as soon as we receive a reply The construction of the cell factory in Saarland had been repeatedly delayed and has not yet begun – according to the original plans, the first battery cells were to be produced in Saarland at the end of 2023. In May 2024, SVOLT then announced that it would also not be realising the planned factory in Brandenburg – it had reassessed its location strategy it was still confirmed that the company intended to retain module and pack production in Saarland – where cells supplied from other plants were to be processed While SVOLT had blamed the end of the Lauchhammer project partly on political decisions and discussions (in addition to a cancelled customer project) the current decision is said to be due to internal reasons SVOLT made the decision based on its own situation and not on technical or local political factors said another person familiar with the matter adding that SVOLT had to “solve the money problem first.” Another source said that the 30 billion yuan (about 3.9 billion euros) investment in the European plants was “too much for a lithium battery manufacturer the size of SVOLT.” SVOLT Energy is in the highly competitive midfield of the Chinese battery industry According to figures from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA) the company had an EV battery market share of 2.36 per cent in September 2024 The market is dominated by CATL (44 per cent) and BYD (24.2 per cent) Only CALB and VW partner Gotion High-Tech have a market share of more than five per cent Behind them are seven companies with a market share of between one and three per cent The market prices are set by companies such as CATL and BYD the other players have to keep up – but cannot hope for the same economies of scale as the market leaders hopes for a sustainable automotive and supplier industry in the state have vanished into thin air for the time being caixin.com (in Chinese), cnevpost.com 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 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