On the way to setting up production for its EQS SUV in the US, Mercedes-Benz has confirmed a partnership with battery supplier Envision AESC that will create a battery manufacturing facility in Bibb County, Georgia.
According to Mercedes-Benz, the new battery facility “underlines the importance of the United States in Mercedes-Benz’s global production network and Alabama’s position as an export hub for luxury SUVs also in the electric age.” .
Mercedes plans to build both the EQS SUV and the EQE SUV at the plant in Tuscaloosa, and says the battery facility will supply both. It aligns with the local cell sourcing and recycling strategy that the automaker plans to adopt across multiple continents.
Mercedes-Benz battery factory
AESC was formed between Nissan and NEC in 2008 and is known as the cell supplier for the Nissan Leaf. It became Envision AESC and an independent company with its sale to China’s Envision Corporation in 2018 but continues to supply Nissan.
With more than eight cell plants worldwide, Mercedes-Benz aims to reach a production capacity of 200 GWh by the end of the decade, and it says more expanded partnerships with manufacturers will follow. battery supply.
The automaker says about 4 million vehicles have been produced at the Alabama plant since 1997. It will continue to make the gasoline-powered GLE, GLE Coupe, GLS and Mercedes-Maybach GLS models, while two will EVs will be added. For more room, production of the C-Class sedan will be moved out.
Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV hot weather test
The electric SUV will be equipped with the lithium-ion NMC cell chemistry, in a ratio of 8:1:1 but with the cobalt content reduced to around 10%. The company has yet to confirm format details.
“With Envision AESC’s net zero carbon solutions and battery technology, this new partnership underscores our holistic approach to our sustainable value chain and allows us to ensure secure supplies, take advantage of economies of scale and provide customers with superior battery technology,” said the company’s CTO and top procurement and development executive, Markus Schaefer.
According to the company, production of the EQS SUV will be based on an “all-flexible combination” of bodywork and powertrain, with modular stations adding the ability to build multiple variants on the same assembly line. assembled.
The EQS SUV will make its official debut on April 19.
