Mercedes-EQ Starts Production of Battery Systems for the New EQS & Expands EV Expertise

Batteriefertigung am Mercedes-Benz Standort Untertürkheim – Werksteil Hedelfingen. Die Fertigung von Batteriesystemen für den Mercedes-Benz EQS erfolgt auf einer rund 300 Meter langen Produktionslinie mit mehr als 70 Produktionsstationen und einer hohen Anzahl automatisierter sowie manueller Produktionsschritte.
Battery production at the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim site – Hedelfingen part of the plant. Production of battery systems for the Mercedes-Benz EQS is set on an approximately 300 meters long production line with more than 70 production stations and with a high number of automated as well as manual production steps.

Stuttgart.  Mercedes-Benz has started producing high-performance batteries for its all-electric luxury EQS at its Stuttgart-Hedelfingen plant, as part of the Untertürkheim location in Germany, ahead of the sedan’s world premiere on April 15, 2021. The EQS marks the start of a new generation of high performance electric vehicles and will offer-a range of more than 700 km (based on WLTP), based on a high efficiency powertrain and advances in battery energy density. Having integrated battery production seamlessly alongside existing transmission production, the Hedelfingen plant has been transformed into an important part of the company’s global battery production network. The quick ramp-up of its global battery production capacities and targeted expansion of battery competencies through the entire value chain are the key pillars of Mercedes-Benz electric initiative – from basic research, cell production up to batteries’ afterlife including 2nd-life applications and recycling.

• Hedelfingen plant to produce high performance battery systems for the new Mercedes-EQ model EQS
• World Premiere of the EQS on April 15, 2021
• Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems Campus Untertürkheim expands EV expertise

This in-house know-how and vertical integration is key for playing a leading role in electric vehicles. In addition to scaling up the EQS battery production, the Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems Campus Untertürkheim will specifically expand its research and development activities in the field of e-mobility – through a campus for electric and electrified drive systems- as announced earlier this month.

“The roll-out of our electric initiative is accelerating as we pursue CO_2-neutrality. Our next all-electric model – the luxury sedan EQS – built on a dedicated electric platform is already in the starting blocks. The start of production of its high-performance battery systems in our plant in Stuttgart-Hedelfingen is therefore an important milestone”, says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG; responsible for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars COO. “As part of the transformation of our company and our products, we are significantly expanding our battery competencies across the entire value chain. Thereby we continue to make efforts to help the next generation of batteries achieve a breakthrough even faster.”

High performance battery systems made in Stuttgart-Hedelfingen
The Hedelfingen plant, as part of the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim location (Germany) is responsible for the production of battery systems for the Mercedes-Benz EQS, as well as the upcoming EQE. The plant has a production and logistics area of about 16,500 m², relying on state-of-the-art systems including a wide range of Industry 4.0 technologies. The highly complex lithium-ion battery system is produced on an approximately 300 meter production line with more than 70 production stations and with a high number of automated as well as manual steps. A variety of components including up to 12 cell modules and the so-called EE-compartment for the intelligent integration of power electronics make up the EQS battery system.
The EE-compartment is assembled by the Mercedes-Benz Berlin site.

Batteriefertigung am Mercedes-Benz Standort Untertürkheim – Werksteil Hedelfingen. Die Fertigung von Batteriesystemen für den Mercedes-Benz EQS erfolgt auf einer rund 300 Meter langen Produktionslinie mit mehr als 70 Produktionsstationen und einer hohen Anzahl automatisierter sowie manueller Produktionsschritte.
Battery production at the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim site – Hedelfingen part of the plant. Production of battery systems for the Mercedes-Benz EQS is set on an approximately 300 meters long production line with more than 70 production stations and with a high number of automated as well as manual production steps.

The EQS will be equipped with battery layouts enabling different range and performance variants. With an installed energy content of up to 108 kWh, the EQS targets, according to WLTP a range of more than 700 kilometres, aided by best-in-class aerodynamics. The in-house-developed software technologically enables updates over the air (OTA), ensuring that the energy management of the EQS will remain up-to-date over the entire lifetime of the vehicle. Besides its CO₂-neutrally produced cells, the EQS battery cell chemistry includes nickel, cobalt and manganese in a ratio of 8: 1: 1, cutting the cobalt content to around ten percent.

Production plays a decisive role in the sustainability understanding of Mercedes-Benz AG. The EQS is produced alongside the new S-Class at the “Factory 56” in the Sindelfingen plant, which operates CO₂-neutrally from the beginning. As early as 2022, the company’s own Mercedes-Benz passenger car and van plants worldwide and thus also the Hedelfingen plant will operate CO₂-neutrally.

Targeted extension of in-house EV expertise focusing battery cells
With the bundling and extension of its battery activities at the Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems Campus at the Untertürkheim site (Germany) the company strengthens its expertise in the field of e-mobility. Research and development activities are already anchored at the location, such as the e-technology center and cell technology center, where, among other things, prototypes for the electric drive system are built and cell technologies are researched and tested. The findings from our international research hubs will be centralized at this location.

In order to deepen its competence as a center for battery technology, a new factory for the small-series production of future lithium-ion battery cells is being planned, starting its operations in 2023. The sustainability factor, transparent cell development through to recyclability, plays a major role in this. The focus on in-house know-how and high vertical integration is key for a leading role in electric vehicles. Mercedes-Benz plans to invest a three-digit million amount in the transformation of the site.

Batteriefertigung am Mercedes-Benz Standort Untertürkheim – Werksteil Hedelfingen. Die Fertigung von Batteriesystemen für den Mercedes-Benz EQS erfolgt auf einer rund 300 Meter langen Produktionslinie mit mehr als 70 Produktionsstationen und einer hohen Anzahl automatisierter sowie manueller Produktionsschritte.
Battery production at the Mercedes-Benz Untertürkheim site – Hedelfingen part of the plant. Production of battery systems for the Mercedes-Benz EQS is set on an approximately 300 meters long production line with more than 70 production stations and with a high number of automated as well as manual production steps.

More information about the Mercedes-Benz Drive Systems Campus: LINK

The electric offensive of Mercedes-Benz AG for its customers is in full swing
2021 stands above all for the acceleration of electrification at Mercedes-Benz Cars – expecting to increase the xEV share to approximately 13%. Under the umbrella of its progressive sub-brand Mercedes-EQ, Mercedes-Benz AG is underlining its claim to lead in the field of electrification and digitization by offering its customers a perfect balance of sustainability and emotion with the demand for innovation. A total of four new Mercedes-EQ models will be presented: the EQA, EQB, EQE and EQS. Plus, the plug-in hybrid family, currently consisting of more than 20 model variants, will be renewed with electrified derivatives of the C-Class and the S-Class with all-electric ranges of around 100km. In less than two years, the Mercedes-EQ family will be comprised of more than ten fully electric EQ models along all segments.

Die heute am Standort verankerten Forschungs- und Entwicklungsumfänge, wie das Zell-Technikum zur Erforschung und Erprobung von Zelltechnologien, sollen durch weitere Umfänge erweitert werden. Weitere Investitionen sind in den Ausbau des heutigen Zell-Technikums geplant, um die gesamte Wertschöpfungskette der Batterietechnologie abbilden zu können. Neben der Grundlagenforschung, der Vorentwicklung und dem Design von Batteriezellen soll künftig auch die Produzierbarkeit in Serie anhand einer neuen Fabrik zur Kleinserienfertigung von künftigen Lithium-Ionen-Batteriezellen ermöglicht werden.
The research and development activities already anchored at the location, such as the cell technology centre for research and testing of cell technologies should be extended by further volumes. Further investments are planned in the expansion of the current cell technology centre in order to be able to cover the entire value chain of battery technology. In addition to basic research, pre-development and design of battery cells, a new factory for the small-series production of future lithium-ion battery cells is also planned for the future.

Images courtesy of Daimler