Located in the district of Regensburg, Bavaria, Webasto’s Schierling plant is home to one of the most modern production facilities for battery systems: the highly flexible Multi-Product-Line, which can produce up to 40,000 battery systems per year.
Among the plant’s features is its flexible production capability, as well as the modularity of its production stations. Since 2019, the plant has produced battery systems for a European bus manufacturer and the Webasto standard modular battery system for commercial vehicles. In the coming years, Webasto will also manufacture six-figure cell modules for a new battery storage system for Solarwatt, a photovoltaic company.
Due to its state-of-the-art equipment, the Schierling plant is a benchmark for other Webasto battery plants, such as the one in Dangjin, Korea, where Webasto will produce its first passenger car battery for Hyundai-Kia Motors Corporation beginning in 2022.
Schierling, a pioneer in sustainability
In addition to its advanced technologies, the plant is also committed operating sustainably. Since the beginning of 2021, the plant has exclusively operated with green electricity. Starting in the fall of 2021, construction will begin on the plant’s own photovoltaic system, which will be built on the roof of the plant and cover an area the size of half a soccer field. With an output of up to 750 KWh, the photovoltaic system will be able to support 100 percent of the battery production in Schierling. This corresponds to the power output of more than 180 four-person households over one year and a savings of ~280 cars’ annual carbon dioxide emissions.
In terms of battery recycling, the construction of a battery storage system with a capacity of 1 MWh is planned for 2021 and will be supplied by the company’s photovoltaic system, which, at a later date, will also flexibly supply the electricity for production or charging points on site. More than 500 second-life battery modules will be reused for the storage system.
Visitors can learn more about Schierling’s battery production by visiting the Webasto booth at the IAA 2021 Summit (Exhibition Center, Hall B3, Booth B80) from September 7-12.
New battery solution for Chinese market
As e-mobility continues to evolve around the world, China has increased its adoption of hybrid vehicles. In mid-2020, the Chinese government announced a new electromobility roadmap, which specifies that half of all new cars will be hybrid vehicles by 2025, and 100 percent of new cars will be electrified by 2035. With its own next-generation battery system for hybrid vehicles, the HEV battery, Webasto is proactively offering solutions to address changing market requirements. The battery system, developed in collaboration with Chinese automakers, can be customized to suit different vehicle models and body installation requirements, addressing the specific needs of a lightweight and highly integrated battery carrier design.
Webasto has already received an initial order from Great Wall, a leading Chinese manufacturer of hybrid SUVs. The program will go into production at Webasto’s plant Jiaxing, China, which opened in 2020. Deliveries to customers will start in 2022.
SOURCE: Webasto
