Traton to evaluate the possibility to build a third battery plant in Europe

As reported by Germany-based international platform Electrive, Traton Group could build a third battery assembly plant for truck key components in Europe. This is due to to the idea that electric truck demand may rise quite soon, as the roadmap outlined by the EU Commission shows. The main European manufacturers belonging to the Traton Group, Scania and MAN, have got already running battery assembly plant (in the case of Scania, in Södertälje) or projects that will see the lights very soon (next year, as in the case of the plant MAN is building in Nuremberg).

Battery assembly plants in the Traton Group decarbonization strategy

Both Scania and MAN have got electric truck models in their respective portfolios. In addition, Traton has more than once stated that electrification is the main road the group is following to reduce CO2 emissions. According to media reports, the new battery assembly plant may be built in Salzgitter, Germany, Krakow (Poland) or Zwolle (Netherlands).

So far, either Scania or MAN are purchasing battery cells from third parties. The plan is to rely on proprietary factories for module and pack assembly in the medium term. In the Nuremberg plant MAN is building, the target is to produce about 100,000 battery packs per year, so to equip about 20,000 electric trucks. If sales grow significantly in the near future, such target will not be sufficient anymore to meet the demand. That’s why manufacturers are evaluating different possibilities, including external supply.