Skoda Auto has manufactured 500,000 battery systems at its main plant in Mladá Boleslav, as the brand forges ahead with its e-campaign.
The advanced MEB (Modular Electrification Toolkit) battery systems are important components fitted in MEB vehicles and models with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain across VW Group brands. Skoda is investing heavily in the transformation of its facilities and development, digitalisation and further education of its workforce, with the company already upskilling more than 23,000 employees to prepare for the demands of e-mobility.
Since September 2019, high-voltage traction batteries for models with plug-in hybrid drive have been produced at the company’s headquarters. The systems are used by Skoda cars, as well as group brands Audi, SEAT and Volkswagen.
Each shift at the facility sees around 50 employees working in an area of roughly 2,000 m². Every 86 seconds, a battery for MQB-based models with plug-in hybrid drivetrain is completed. When it is being unloaded from the production line the battery weighs approximately 130 kilograms, with a team of 13 fully automated robots employed to handle particularly heavy components on the production line.
In May 2022, Skoda Auto launched the production of battery systems for all-electric vehicles based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB). The systems have a capacity of 55 to 82 kWh and are installed in the company’s own MEB models as well as MEB cars by Volkswagen and Audi.
Along with the individual battery modules, each containing 16 cells or 24 cells, an MEB battery system also includes a case with an integrated cooling and a battery management system, as well as the necessary electrical connections. There are around 250 employees working at the current production line, in which Skoda Auto has invested around 130 million euros.
The car manufacturer will be commissioning another MEB assembly line in 2023, increasing its total production volume to 2,300 units per day, consisting of 1,500 MEB units per day, and 800 units for PHEV battery systems.
Michael Oeljeklaus, Skoda Auto Board Member for Production and Logistics, said: “Battery systems are the key component for our successful transformation to e-mobility. The landmark of 500,000 Skoda-made battery systems for MEB and plug-in hybrid vehicles is an outstanding achievement. It testifies both the trust of the Volkswagen Group in our highly-skilled team and our uncompromising commitment to e-mobility. And we are even shifting up another gear soon when we will be opening an additional assembly line and further increase the daily production capacity of battery systems. We are therefore following our clearly defined roadmap in order to strengthen the Czech Republic as an e-mobility hub.”
MEB battery systems in numbers
- 16 or 24-cell batteries
- 55-82 kWh total capacity (allowing up to 347 miles of range)
- 52-77 kWh net capacity (to guarantee long lifespan)
- 345-493kg weight (optimum weight for low centre of gravity)
- 2.3, 7.2 or 11 kW AC charging (home sockets, wallbox or public charge point)
- Up to 135 kW fast charging (10-80% charge in 29 minutes)
