ŠKODA Reaches A Milestone: 100K Batteries

ŠKODA has reached a milestone by manufacturing its 100,000th high-voltage traction battery. The Czech automaker, headquartered in Mladá Boleslav, invested around €25.3 million back in 2019 to set up the production facility for its batteries. The production area covers around 2000 m² and isn’t just used to make the batteries for its own plug-in-hybrid vehicles, but also batteries for other plug-in hybrids produced by related automakers — Audi, SEAT, and Volkswagen.

ŠKODA AUTO’s Head of Component Production, Christian Bleiel, shared his thoughts upon arriving at this milestone. “We have now reached the mark of 100,000 high-voltage traction batteries produced. This success is a great testament to our team’s high level of engineering expertise as well as the importance of our component production within the group: our batteries are not just used in the ŠKODA Superb iV and the Octavia iV, they are also fitted in plug-in hybrids from the AUDI, SEAT and Volkswagen brands. We currently manufacture almost 800 batteries per day.”

A Glance At ŠKODA AUTO’s Battery Production

Production of the batteries at the Mladá Boleslav site started in September 2019 and has been steadily scaling up. It takes around 2 hours to manufacture a battery. During this time, it passes through 66 different workstations, and every 88 seconds, a battery for MQB-based models with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain rolls off of the production line. Each work shift has a total of 58 employees.

The more complicated parts are handled by 13 robots designed for weights ranging between 210 to 500 kg (460 to 1100 lb). The robots also feed the battery module into the production line and load the finished battery systems onto pallets.

The modules for the two halves of a battery pack are processed independently on the production line. They’re treated with a special heat-conducting film that dissipates heat while helping to cool the assembled battery system. A liquid coolant is added between the two modules before they are joined in a solid aluminum housing. The next step is preparation for the battery to be installed into the vehicle.