Scania starts operation at its own battery assembly facility

Staff Report,

7 Sept 2023

Commercial vehicles giant marks landmark moment as plant adjacent to main truck assembly line goes live, enabling production of heavy-duty electric vehicles

Global trucks and commercial vehicles heavyweight Scania has announced the launch of its battery assembly facility at its headquarters in Södertälje, Sweden, where the start of operations enables serial production of heavy-duty premium electric vehicles.

The Swedish giant marked the historic day on September 5, inaugurating the battery assembly facility adjacent to the truck assembly line at its main production facility south of Stockholm.

“I am extremely proud of all colleagues who have put their hearts and minds into this. At Scania, we have made it our purpose to drive the shift towards a sustainable transport system. With the battery assembly in operation we have one of the key enablers in place to accelerate the shift to electrification,” said Christian Levin, President and CEO, Scania and owners Traton Group.

Scania has announced that its aim is for 50 per cent of its production to be of electric vehicles by 2030, while “all transport can be electric” beyond that.

“The shift to electrified solutions is the biggest transformation in the history of transport, and 2023 is the year when it truly takes off. The proof points are being launched one by one and the 1,5 billion SEK investment in this new battery assembly is one of them,” said Levin.

In April, Scania and Northvolt unveiled a jointly developed battery cell designed for heavy-duty transport with outstanding performance and a uniquely low carbon footprint. The cell is produced at the gigafactory Northvolt ETT in northern Sweden and will, as from 5 September, be assembled into packs at the new 18,000-square-meter plant in Södertälje, enabling the start of serial production of Scania’s premium electric trucks for regional transport.

By locating the assembly plant adjacent to the chassis line in Södertälje, which was redesigned this summer for large-scale production of electric vehicles, the conditions for fast and efficient manufacturing flows are in place. The battery assembly will employ 550 Scania personnel and is highly automated, from incoming goods throughout production to delivery.

Marcus Holm, Head of Production and Logistics at Scania, explained: “Despite a rapidly changing business landscape, our promise to always put our customers first remains. Being premium means that we deliver solutions that are both of the highest quality - and sustainable. The cell being assembled into modules and packs is a perfect example of this. It has the capacity to power trucks for 1,5 million kilometres – equivalent to the truck’s lifetime. It is a privilege to drive change together with all our partners and customers.”