At full capacity, the Braunschweig, Germany, plant will be able to assemble up to 500,000 EV batteries a year for models based on VW’s modular electric drive (MEB) architecture.
The German automaker’s third ID. badged model, which is slightly smaller than the U.S.-produced VW Atlas, will be produced and sold exclusively in China.
Part of GM’s $7 billion investment this year in zero-emission vehicle technology, the Tennessee plant will supply battery cells to Spring Hill Assembly, which GM said in October will build the Cadillac Lyriq EV.
Based on the CX-30 platform and engineered by Mazda, the front-wheel-drive MX-30’s drivetrain uses an electric motor and a 35.5-kWh lithium-ion battery capable of delivering 144 hp and maximum torque of 200 lb.-ft. (271 Nm).
The still-evolving regulatory landscape governing these issues in the U.S. and European Union will be critically important to vehicle and battery manufacturers, fleet owners and battery recyclers.