Mercedes opens battery production in Alabama
From Tuscaloosa for the World
Mercedes manufacturing in Alabama
© press-inform – the press office
Mercedes has been producing its large SUV models in the southern United States for 25 years. Now, 15 minutes from Tuscaloosa, they have their own battery production, because the EQS SUV will soon be rolling off the assembly line here.
The testing of the large SUV with electric drive is in the final stages. Before the new Mercedes EQS SUV rolls out to customers in the fall, a new battery production facility has now been opened not far from Tuscaloosa in Bibb County, from which the EQS SUV and other subsequent models in particular will be served. That means 600 more jobs for the existing 4,500 in neighboring Tuscaloosa. The Mercedes EQS SUV is the first all-electric vehicle from the Mercedes Southern plant and the new battery plant in Bibb County is the first of its kind in the state of Alabama. 25 years ago, the former ML plant had a starting capacity of 65,000 vehicles, where 260,000 vehicles of the GLE, GLE Coupé, GLS and GLS Maybach model series were produced last year. After the summer, the electrically powered Mercedes EQS SUV will be added to the same production line. However, the EQS SUV is not celebrating its official world premiere in the USA, but at Auto China in Beijing in mid-April.
“The opening of our new battery plant in Alabama is an important milestone on our way to a fully electric future. With a holistic approach, which also includes a local cell procurement and recycling strategy, we are underlining the importance of our US location, where Mercedes-Benz has been for decades is successful,” says Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius, “we are proud to be able to create new, future-proof jobs to build all-electric SUVs ‘Made in the USA’ in a plant that has been an integral part of our for 25 years production family.”
Since the 1990s, the former Daimler group has invested more than seven billion US dollars in Alabama. One billion dollars of this went into the construction of the battery plant, the logistics center and making the production lines more flexible. In addition to the 4,500 current employees, there are around 11,000 other jobs at suppliers and regional service providers. Around four million vehicles have rolled off the production line at the Tuscaloosa plant since 1997. Of the approximately 260,000 SUVs recently produced, two-thirds of annual production was exported.
“The global Mercedes-Benz production network is digital, sustainable, efficient and flexible. The new battery plant with its highly qualified and motivated US employees will now be a decisive driver in the introduction of our new electric vehicles. Team USA is an important factor for the future success of Mercedes-Benz and we are proud that our new electric SUVs are also being built here in Alabama for the global markets,” says Jörg Burzer, Board Member for Production at Mercedes Group AG. The production of the lithium-ion batteries for the EQS SUV and the EQE SUV is CO2-neutral. The energy storage devices are assembled into a complete system on a production line that is around 300 meters long and has more than 70 work stations. The individual components are assembled in a fully digitized production process, including up to twelve cell modules and the so-called EE compartment for intelligent integration of the power electronics.
“With the start of production of the groundbreaking M-Class 25 years ago, Mercedes-Benz helped bring our state to the forefront of automobile production,” said Alabama Governor Kay Ivey. “With the new battery plant, Alabama is helping Mercedes to expand its production of pioneering We are proud to have Mercedes as a partner and look forward to the future we are building together in Alabama.” With the new facility, Bibb County will become part of the global Mercedes-Benz battery manufacturing network, which includes factories on three continents. These include the locations in Kamenz and Stuttgart, Beijing, Bangkok and in Jawor, Poland.