Since September 5, Scania has been assembling the new battery cells produced by Northvolt in Skellefteå into battery packs for use in heavy regional electric trucks. Northvolt's battery cells have been specially optimized for Scania's needs; they are prismatic cells with a nominal voltage of 3.6 volts and a capacity of 157 Ah.
According to Marcus Holm, Head of Production and Logistics at Scania, the self-assembled batteries are expected to last 1.5 million kilometers - the lifetime of a truck. "Being premium means that we deliver solutions that are both of the highest quality and sustainable," says Holm.
From Skellefteå in northern Sweden, the cells will be transported some 800 kilometers south to the Scania plant. The new 18,000-square-meter assembly plant in Södertälje, southwest of Stockholm, will employ 550 people, although Scania says the processes will be "highly automated from goods receipt through production to delivery". The plant, which will cost more than one billion Swedish kronor (about 100 million euros), was announced back in 2020.
In June 2022, Scania also opened a new battery laboratory in Södertälje. The lab and assembly are expected to help the subsidiary Traton reach its self-imposed target of 50 percent electric vehicle sales by 2030.
“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,” said Christian Levin, President and CEO of Scania and the entire Traton Group. “With the battery assembly in operations we have one of the key enablers in place to accelerate the shift to electrification.”
Source: Scania