Automotive Engineering - September 2022 - 20

Chattanooga
POWER HAUS
The eMAST
shaker table
is key to pack
development.
Volkswagen sprints forward in the EV race by integrating battery test,
production and EV assembly in the U.S.
by Lindsay Brooke
V
olkswagen is rapidly gaining on General Motors, Ford and
Tesla in terms of overall EV development and production assets
in North America, according to industry analysts. With
the recent launch of its $22 million Battery Engineering Lab
(BEL) near Chattanooga, Tennessee, VW becomes the first non-domestic
OEM to fully integrate battery test and validation, pack assembly
and EV manufacturing in the U.S. The 32,000-sq.ft BEL is adjacent
to VW's vehicle and pack assembly complex and includes in-house test
capabilities that in some metrics surpass those of the top three domestic
EV makers, battery R&D experts indicate to SAE Media.
" We are transforming this region into a powerhouse for EV production,
including suppliers, " asserted Johan de Nysschen, Volkswagen
Group of America's COO, during a tour of the BEL in June 2022. De
Nysschen said VW is moving to full vertical integration of EV batteries
in the U.S., including prismatic-cell manufacture and recycling.
The plan is being implemented by PowerCo, VW's new wholly owned
€20-billion battery organization. A new U.S. cell plant, expected for
the Chattanooga area, will be based on a standardized factory design,
the first of which is now under construction in Salzgitter,
Germany. Salzgitter is designed for 40-GWh annual capacity and will
start production in 2025. Six factories built on the Salzgitter " blueprint "
currently are in the works for Europe. Each cell plant will be
100% powered by electricity from renewable sources.
VW's strategic electrification goal is to " unite our operations in the
U.S., Mexico and Canada, " de Nysschen said.
20 September 2022
In the near term, VW will source its U.S. EV battery
cells from SK Innovation at the new $2.6 billion factory
SKI is building in Georgia. VW expects production
scale generated by PowerCo's standardized cell
and production scheme will reduce battery costs by
up to 50% and ensure high quality, Dr. Wolfgang
Demmelbauer-Ebner, VW America's chief engineering
officer, told SAE Media.
The new BEL also is likely to be used to test and
validate batteries for Navistar commercial trucks (part
of VW-owned Traton Group) as well as a new generation
of Scout SUVs, according to Scout CEO Scott
Keough, who spoke with SAE Media at Chattanooga.
Demmelbauer-Ebner said " now that we're brothers
and sisters with Navistar, it makes sense to share the
'center of gravity' and big investment we have here in
Chattanooga with them. "
Shock, dust and immersion
A comprehensive tour of the BEL led by Wolfgang
Maluche, VP engineering, revealed the majority of
test cells to be WW-series equipment sourced from
Weiss Technik North America, based in Grand
Rapids, Michigan.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
VW
Automotive Engineering - September 2022

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