Significant step towards decarbonization with the opening of Western Europe’s largest battery cell Gigafactory

Politicians, media, and top executives from both CATL and Exyte attended the opening ceremony to celebrate the company’s first facility outside of China. The location for the Gigafactory is intended to create easier and better access to batteries for the German and European automotive industry. It is a major step towards localizing battery manufacturing in Europe. 

Exyte has been responsible for the delivery of this facility, which included the design, engineering, procurement, project and construction management services. With the newly installed production line, the ceremony marks a successful milestone for the project which started construction over 2.5 years ago. The installation of the remaining lines is well underway and set to be completed by year end.  

 

 

 

The largest dry room in Europe to date 

“Since 2019, Exyte has worked hard to build a facility to manufacture battery cells, even during unprecedented times throughout the pandemic.”, commented Exyte CEO, Dr. Wolfgang Büchele. “This project is unique in its scale as it has the largest dry room in Europe to date. It involved the work of more than a thousand workers constructing a facility of more than 130,000m2, and the result is a leading facility for a leading client. Here in Arnstadt, we bring the future of technology to life. This site will bring much needed supply to the battery market, which continues to increase every year as governments work towards a greener and electric future.”, Büchele added.  

 

 

 

Push for e-mobility towards sustainability continues

2021 saw a significant increase in the uptake of electric cars and vans in the 27 countries of the European Union. Electric car registrations for the year were about 1.7 million, up from slightly over 1 million in the previous year. This represented an increase from 10.7 percent to 17.8 percent in the share of total new car registrations in just a year. 

Meanwhile, globally, the Compounded Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of electric vehicles is expected to increase by more than 30 percent in the lead up to 2030. This growth is primarily driven by the demand for electric vehicles as well as for storage applications due to the increased share of renewable energy. The German Government forecasts battery driven cars will make up 80 percent of all new vehicle registrations in Germany in 2030. “The design and construction of battery cell production facilities is a business area that will continue to develop, putting Exyte in an ideal position to create more opportunities to grow profitably in the future,” Büchele said.