In 2017, a new battery factory in Kamenz, Saxony, will begin manufacturing lithium-ion batteries for Smart and Mercedes-Benz hybrid and electric vehicles.

The automotive company Daimler is expanding its activities in the area of electric mobility and investing approximately € 500 million to build a new factory for lithium-ion batteries. This will expand the production capacity of its subsidiary Deutsche Accumotive. As a first step, Daimler has purchased approximately 20 hectares of land just next to the existing factory.

"By purchasing the new plot of land, we are tripling our production and logistics space at our location. An additional 40,000 square metres will be added to the existing 20,000 square metres. We will continue to expand our production capacity during the coming years," said Harald Kröger, head of electrics / electronics development and Mercedes-Benz e-Drive cars.

One of the reasons for the expansion is the fact that the company is stepping into the market for stationary power storage. Accumotive has been mass-producing batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles since 2012, and the Daimler AG subsidiary entered the business with stationary battery storage systems in 2015. Power storage units for private households can already be ordered, and they will be installed at customers' locations soon. In the area of larger storage systems for industrial applications, Daimler and its partners are planning to connect approximately 29 MW of capacity to the grid in the future.

The Daimler subsidiary had already announced at the end of 2014 that it would be significantly increasing its production capacity and investing approximately € 100 million in expanding the existing battery factory. The new production plant will be put into operation in 2017.

Tanja Peschel / Daimler AG