Volkswagen Zwickau will be one of the biggest electric car plants in the world.
Volkswagen Group, since the summer of 2018 on, has been busy with the modernization of the production lines in Zwickau plant in Germany, which is set to become a massive all-electric car factory.
The German manufacturer says that through an investment of €1.2 billion wt ill switch the production from three conventional models to six all-electric, based on the new MEB-platform.
“Volkswagen is set to build the attractive, affordable e-car for everyone. An e-car for millions, not just for millionaires. To do so, the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau is currently being transformed into the first, largest, highest-performing – and most environmentally friendly – e-factory in Europe.”
The first model will be the Volkswagen ID.3, followed by Seat’s derivative. The six planned BEVs include also the Audi brand. Interestingly, Skoda was not mentioned.
Production of the ID.3 will start in late 2019. Together with other models, the production output will gradually increase to 330,000 per year from 2021 onwards.
Currently, the plant capacity is 1,350 cars per day (three ICE models), which will increase to 1,500 (six BEV models). Single platform and simplicity of electric cars allow VW to produce more in the same footprint with the same workforce. Producing just three BEVs would otherwise lead to layoffs we guess. Layoffs are probably inevitable though, because higher production in Zwickau means lower production will be needed somewhere else in Europe.
“The future fully electric models from Zwickau will be based on efficient, stable and sustainable production. The plant’s maximum capacity is being increased daily from today’s 1,350 to a future 1,500 vehicles. And since the Zwickau plant will also increase the number of models from three to six, employment at the site will remain stable – even though electric vehicles are less complicated to build.
The conversion was started in the summer of 2018 with the modernization of the production lines. Following the plant’s summer shutdown, the first of two assembly lines for ID. production will be given the green light in August. To this end, the body shop, paint shop, assembly and infrastructure have been extensively modernized and renewed. Among other things, the entire conveyor technology had to be modified for electric cars.”
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