Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2022 - 17

FEATURE ARTICLE
since 2005. A few weeks ago, production of the all-electric EQE
business sedan started at the Shunyi plant. The Mercedes-EQ
production portfolio of the joint venture consists of four models:
Production of the EQC started in 2019. Since 2021, the
EQA and EQB have been produced locally. The C-Class (long
version), E-Class (long version), A-Class (long version), GLA,
GLB, GLC (long version) and the AMG A 35 L are also produced
locally within the joint venture.
Tuscaloosa
The Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, USA, will soon start
production of the EQS SUV, with the EQE SUV to follow later
this year. Both models are produced on the same line together
with the SUVs with conventional drive. The GLE, GLE Coupe,
GLS and Mercedes-Maybach GLS roll off the assembly line in
Tuscaloosa today.
Global battery production network: key success factor for the
Mercedes-EQ electric ramp-up
The batteries for the Mercedes-EQ electric vehicles are
supplied by a global battery production network comprising
factories on three continents. The local production of battery
systems is a key success factor for the Mercedes-Benz electric
ramp-up and a decisive component in being able to meet the
global demand for electric vehicles flexibly and efficiently.
Accumotive has been producing battery systems for hybrids
and electric vehicles in Kamenz, Germany, since 2012. A second
battery factory at the site commenced operations in 2018
and has been producing the battery systems for the EQC since
2019 followed by the batteries for the compact electric SUVs
since 2021. Since Accumotive began production, more than
one million batteries based on lithium-ion technology have been
produced at the Kamenz site.
Beijing Benz Automotive Co. Ltd. (BBAC) has established a local
battery production facility at the existing site in the Yizhuang
Industrial Park in Beijing, China. It supplies the vehicle plants,
which produce for the local market. Production of battery systems
for the EQC started there in 2019. Production of battery
systems for the EQE started this year.
Also in 2019, Mercedes-Benz opened a battery production plant
in Bangkok, Thailand, together with its local partner Thonburi
Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP). Battery systems for plug-in
hybrids and all-electric vehicles are manufactured there.
The Mercedes-Benz battery factory in Jawor, Poland, has been
producing plug-in hybrid batteries for the C-, E- and S-Class
since 2020. In 2021, the site expanded its portfolio to include
battery systems for the compact Mercedes EQA and EQB
models.
Two factories as parts of the Untertürkheim site in Stuttgart,
Germany, produce battery systems. The Hedelfingen plant has
been producing batteries for the EQS and EQE since 2021.
A few weeks ago, the production of plug-in hybrid batteries
started in the Brühl plant, which will be used in the new GLC,
among other things.
The new battery factory in Bibb County near the MercedesBenz
vehicle plant in Tuscaloosa, Alabama started operations
this year, producing highly efficient battery systems for the allwww.MagneticsMag.com
electric
EQS SUV and EQE SUV later this year. The MercedesBenz
battery production network will also be supplemented by
another battery factory at the Sindelfingen site.
Electric drive systems in the global production network
Mercedes-Benz will deepen the level of vertical integration in
manufacturing and development, and insource electric drive
technology. The next generation of electric drive systems are
being developed in house. The manufacturing and assembly
of parts of the electric drive systems for future models of the
Mercedes-EQ brand will start at the end of 2024 at the Untertürkheim
plant.
Another important step
is the acquisition of UK
based electric motor
company YASA. With
this deal, Mercedes-Benz
gains access to unique
axial flux motor technology
and expertise to
develop next generation
ultra-high-performance
motors. The MercedesBenz
Berlin plant will
expand its production
Axial-flux motors will be manufactured
at Berlin plant
portfolio with the manufacture and assembly of these ultra-highperformance
axial flow electric motors in the future.
Sustainability in production
Compared to 2020, Mercedes-Benz is pursuing the goal of at
least halving CO₂ emissions per passenger car over the entire
life cycle by the end of this decade. The most important levers
for this are the electrification of the vehicle fleet, charging with
green electricity, the improvement of battery technology and
the comprehensive use of recycled materials including batteries
and renewable energies in production.
Mercedes-Benz has been producing CO2-neutral in all of
its own plants worldwide since this year and has also been
purchasing electricity in Germany that comes exclusively from
renewable sources (CO2-free) since this year. A green electricity
supply contract ensures the purchase of electricity from
renewable energies at all times. In addition, the company aims
to increase the production of renewable energy at its sites.
Solar plants with a capacity of more than 11 MWp are to go into
operation by the end of next year. By 2025, Mercedes-Benz will
invest a three-digit million sum in the installation of photovoltaic
systems. Mercedes-Benz is also planning to invest in new
power purchase agreements for wind turbines worth 1 billion
euros by the middle of the decade.
By 2030, it is planned to cover more than 70 percent of the energy
demand in production from renewable energy sources - 15
percent is to be generated by renewable energy at the company's
own locations. This is to be achieved by expanding solar
and wind energy at its own locations and by concluding further
corresponding power purchase agreements. Mercedes-Benz is
also pursuing the goal of reducing water consumption by 35%
by 2030. Next, Mercedes-Benz also wants to make logistics
CO2-neutral in which the rail transport of vehicles and components
such as batteries play an important role.
For more info, see www.mercedes-benz.com.
September/October 2022 * Magnetics Business & Technology 17
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Magnetics Business & Technology - September/October 2022

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