Volkswagen and Bosch will partner to manufacture electric car batteries

Volkswagen and Bosch have agreed to form a joint venture by the end of 2022 to equip battery cell factories and help make Europe self-sufficient in the sector.

The venture will supply battery production systems and help manufacturers increase production sites, Volkswagen said, adding that it will service its own factories and others in Europe.

The companies did not say how much they will invest in the business.

The EBA (European Battery Alliance) said that a third of global batteries should be produced in Europe by 2030 to reduce dependence on suppliers that dominate the market, mainly from South Korea and China.

Volkswagen, which wants to overtake Tesla as the biggest seller of electric vehicles, has announced plans to build six plants in Europe by the end of the decade with a combined capacity of 240 GWh, in an attempt to control as much of the supply chain as possible.

Volkswagen Chief Executive Herbert Diess, who clashed in late 2021 with the company’s powerful works council over his electrification strategy, said the battery division should generate sales of 20 billion euros. billion at current rates) by 2030 and is being prepared for a spin-off.

The automaker, which in December announced an increase in electrification spending over the next five years to €52 billion, has committed to selling electric vehicles exclusively in Europe from 2035.

For Bosch, the move will strengthen its role in the transition to electric, which for many suppliers represents a threat, as the assembly of such a vehicle requires fewer steps and less work than a car with a combustion engine.

German newspaper Handelsblatt reported in December that the two companies were also approaching to cooperate on automotive software, with Volkswagen planning to invest at least 100 million euros. The companies declined to comment.

Neoenergia and WEG close partnership in electric car charging infrastructure

Also on Tuesday (18), Neoenergia and WEG announced a partnership in the infrastructure segment for electric vehicles.

The machinery and equipment company from Santa Catarina will be the exclusive supplier of charging solutions for Neoenergia, which has its own fleet of electric cars and also sells charging stations to business, commercial and residential customers.

The agreement between the companies provides for the supply of equipment produced nationally by WEG with a power of 7.4 kilowatt (kW), ideal for homes or condominiums, and 22 kW, more suitable for companies or businesses.

The ecosystem of solutions provided by WEG also includes a management platform for charging or apportioning the consumption of each user, controlled access via proximity cards and a demand control system.

Neoenergia’s director of Liberalized Business, Hugo Nunes, said in a statement that the partnership is in line with the company’s commitments to sustainable development “by stimulating the local production chain and electric mobility, in order to promote the efficient decarbonization of the economy.” and the fight against climate change”.

Neoenergia has been operating in the electric mobility segment with a series of projects, such as the installation of an electroway in the Northeast, and last year it expanded its business strategy by offering charging solutions.

WEG, on the other hand, wants to make electric mobility “a reality in Brazil”, serving “in a structural way the entire chain necessary for the viability of electric vehicles”, said Manfred Peter Johann, superintendent director of WEG Automação, in a note.

(Letícia Fucuchima collaborated in São Paulo)