In the heart of Bibb-County, Alabama, Mercedes-Benz is expanding its production facilities to include a battery factory. Mercedes’ plan is to offer fully-electric versions of all its models by 2022, and the Alabama battery plant will be one of eight globally tasked with supplying the batteries for the effort. William Thornton reports at AL.com:
Markus Schafer, member of the divisional board of Mercedes-Benz cars, production and supply chain, quoted the lyrics of “Sweet Home Alabama” today, as the German automaker broke ground on its latest addition to the company’s growing Bibb County campus.
Mercedes-Benz will begin construction on its electric battery plant next year, part of the more than $1 billion the company began pumping into Bibb County in 2017. Mercedes-Benz U.S. International began building a global logistics center and parts hub last year in Woodstock, near the Vance plant.
The battery plant, part of a network of eight globally, will build high-voltage batteries for the all-electric EQ brand of Mercedes vehicles, and batteries for the hybrid plug-ins as well.
Jason Hoff, President and CEO of MBUSI, said the battery plant will cover 2 million square feet – twice the size of the original Mercedes-Benz plant built in Vance more than 20 years ago.
The battery factory will also have a battery analysis center, a first-of-its-kind for the company, to test batteries in the field for quality and innovation, Hoff said.
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