Skoda has started building batteries for its MEB-based EVs in the Czech Republic, becoming the first Volkswagen Group brand to do so outside of Germany.
The cells, which will power the Skoda Enyaq iV, Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV and other cars built on the MEB platform from across the Volkswagen Group, are being assembled on a new production line at its main factory in Mladá Boleslav.
Skoda claims the facility can produce more than 250,000 battery systems per year and will employ around 250 staff.
Until now, all of the MEB battery systems have been manufactured at Volkswagen plants in Germany. Skoda has invested around €130 million (£109m) in the new plant.
Michael Oeljeklaus, Skoda’s production and logistics chief, called the start of production a “very special day” for the firm. He added: “We are now manufacturing the absolute key component at the heart of the company.”
The Skoda facility will be able to produce batteries of 55kWh, 62kWh and 82kWh capacities, thereby catering to the entire Volkswagen Group EV portfolio.
The battery packs are each made from a varying number of modules: eight, nine and 12 respectively, with each module containing 24 cells.
The battery system also includes the battery housing and integrated cooling system, a management system and the electrical connections to join it to the rest of the car.
The new production line, added to the facility that produces the Enyaq, is a key part of Skoda’s Next Level strategy to build towards 2030, which includes building EVs or EV components at all three of its factories.
Skoda has confirmed that it will launch at least three more EVs by 2030, all of which will sit below the Enyaq in terms of price and size.
Those vehicles are known to involve a crossover similar in size to the Volkswagen ID 3 and Skoda’s version of the entry-level £17,000 small car that will be launched in 2025 alongside the production versions of the Volkswagen ID Life and Cupra Urban Rebel concepts.
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