VW completes strategic supplier group for battery cells for MEB-based EVs

With the South Korean battery cell manufacturer SK Innovation (SKI), the Volkswagen Group has named a further strategic supplier for electric vehicles based on the Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB).

SKI will supply the batteries for North America and a share of the batteries for the production of Volkswagen Group full- electric vehicles in Europe. The most important strategic suppliers of battery cells for the equipment of the Group’s rapidly glowing electric fleet in the major regions of the world have therefore been nominated.

Within the framework of Roadmap E, the Volkswagen Group brands plan to bring 50 new full- electric models onto the roads by 2025. The Group needs battery capacity in excess of 150 GWh per year through 2025 just to equip its own electric fleet. That corresponds to an annual capacity of at least four 'Gigafactories' for battery cells. The Volkswagen Group has taken LG Chem, Samsung and SKI on board as strategic partners for Europe. These partners will safeguard battery supplies from 2019. In addition, SKI will cover the Group’s demand on the North American market from 2022. CATL was nominated as the strategic partner for China, and will supply batteries for the Group’s own electric fleet from 2019.

Dr. Stefan Sommer, Group Board Member responsible for Components and Procurement of Volkswagen AG, said: “With SK Innovation, LG Chem, Samsung and CATL, we have found strong partners for the long-term supply of cells for our electric vehicles. Together with our suppliers, we will ensure that the rapidly growing electric fleet of the Volkswagen Group receives the best possible batteries – in all the variants we need to meet customer-specific and market-specific requirements. This lays the foundation for the transformation of the Volkswagen Group towards e-mobility.”

Also read: Volkswagen's MEB electric car platform: full details