Škoda Begins EV Battery Production at Czech HQ
Škoda has begun building its own batteries to fit the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) in Mladá Boleslav.
This makes the automaker’s main plant the only production facility for MEB battery systems in Europe outside Germany. Around 250 employees will soon be assembling more than 250,000 battery systems a year on the newly constructed production line. In addition to Škoda vehicles, these will also be installed in models using the same platform made by Volkswagen, Audi and Seat.
The smallest version with eight modules has a capacity of 55 kWh and the medium version with nine modules stores 62 kWh. The largest battery with 12 modules boasts an 82-kWh capacity. In addition to the modules, each containing 24 cells, the components of an MEB battery system include a battery housing with integrated cooling system, a battery management system and the requisite electrical connections. Other e-components made at Mladá Boleslav include high-voltage traction batteries that are used in the Superb iV, Octavia iV and in plug-in hybrid vehicles of other group brands.
Michael Oeljeklaus, Škoda’s board member for production and logistics, said: “By launching the production of MEB battery systems, we are now manufacturing the absolute key component at the heart of the company. This means we have achieved another goal towards our successful transition to electromobility. I would like to thank the entire team who have worked very hard over recent months to set up this new production line. Our objective is clear: we want to produce E-components or E-vehicles at all three Czech plants by 2030.”
— Paul Myles is a seasoned automotive journalist based in Europe. Follow him on Twitter @Paulmyles_
