Volkswagen May Build Its Own Battery Factory

In the wake of last year’s diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen is marching towards an emission-free, electrified future to resurrect itself globally. The German auto giant recently announced its goal to make a quarter of its line-up battery powered by 2025. And a lot of batteries will be required if the manufacturer wants to electrify such a major chunk of its portfolio. VW’s head honcho Matthias Mueller hinted to a Frankfurt daily in a recent interview that the company might set up its own battery manufacturing facility.    

"If more than a quarter of our cars are to be electronic vehicles in the foreseeable future then we are going to need approximately 3 million batteries a year," Mueller said. "Then it makes sense to build our own factory."

American all-electric automaker Tesla is one step ahead of other automakers when it comes to battery powered vehicles and has been riling other manufacturers with the popularity and acceptance of its cars worldwide. Tesla has recently opened its battery production facility – Gigafactory 1 – in Nevada, USA. This facility, which is nearly 14 per cent complete, will have the largest footprint of any building in the world, and will also produce cars. 

(In Picture:Tesla's Gigafactory)

Check out this detailed report on Tesla’s Gigafactory here: Tesla Opens Gigafactory For In-House Battery Production

Tesla has partnered with Panasonic Crop., Japan, for the production of batteries at the Gigafactory since it requires huge capital. On a similar note, Volkswagen might collaborate with an already established battery manufacturer as well, because the automaker has many ways to burn through money considering the present scenario (emissions scandal).

Recommended Read: Meet the Volkswagen I.D. Concept!

Source: Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung