Skoda Auto has opened a new battery system assembly hall at its main plant in Mladá Boleslav, expanding its role in electric vehicle production within the Volkswagen Group.
The 55,000-square-metre facility was completed in less than twelve months and is capable of assembling one battery system every 60 seconds, according to the company. This corresponds to a daily capacity of more than 1,100 battery packs and up to 335,000 units per year.
The plant also introduces cell-to-pack manufacturing for the Group’s volume brands. Mladá Boleslav is currently the first location within the Volkswagen Group producing battery systems using this architecture. The packs assembled at the site will be supplied to various electric models across the company’s brand portfolio.
The shift reflects the Group’s transition from the MEB platform to the updated MEB+ architecture. Under this approach, battery cells are integrated directly into the pack structure, eliminating the intermediate module level that was used in earlier designs.
Skoda said it invested about €205 million in the project, covering the construction of the production hall, installation of 131 robots and the implementation of automated manufacturing processes. The company reported that the production line operates with an automation rate of around 84%.
According to the automaker, the new battery system design is intended to improve durability and manufacturing efficiency. The approach combines the use of the Volkswagen Group’s unified cell format with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, which the company said has helped reduce battery costs by around 30% compared with the previous MEB platform.
“This opening is part of the Volkswagen Group’s overall battery strategy, which balances in-house and third-party battery cell and system supply to achieve maximum flexibility and continuous access to innovations, technologies and supply chains,” the company said in a statement.
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Czech government, including Prime Minister Andrej Babiš and Industry and Trade Minister Karel Havlíček, as well as executives from the Volkswagen Group.
“With this investment, Skoda becomes the largest producer of BEV battery systems within the Volkswagen Group and a central pillar of our electrification strategy,” said Thomas Schäfer, who also serves as CEO of the Brand Group Core and chairman of Skoda’s supervisory board.
Klaus Zellmer said the facility represents a step toward localising battery production in Europe. “With the opening of our new battery system assembly line, we are localising battery production at scale, strengthening a more resilient and competitive European value chain, and making electric mobility more accessible,” he said.
