VDL Groep will assemble battery systems in a serial manner at the Mobility Innovation Center (MIC) in Born. BMW Group has placed an initial, long-term order. VDL will assemble approximately 125,000 battery modules for the German car brand's aftersales network until 2035. This means that the collaboration with BMW Group will be continued after 10 years of producing cars at VDL Nedcar.
The first battery modules should be delivered to BMW in about a year. Preparations in Born have now started. This order provides employment for several dozen employees. Two battery lines will be put into use in a new production hall in Born, which has approximately 30,000 square meters. This will take up approximately 10 percent of the available production capacity.
'Flying start'
“This first order for the assembly of battery modules from our partner BMW Group ensures a flying start for our activities surrounding the serial assembly of battery systems, one of the pillars of our Mobility Innovation Center in Born,” says CEO Willem van der Leegte from VDL Group. “By delivering new and sustainable mobility solutions, for both our partners and for our own activities, we want to be a flexible and expert innovation and industrialization partner with our Mobility Innovation Center in Born.”
Green Transport & Delta – Electrification
VDL has been the secretary of the Green Transport & Delta – Electrification project since 2021. No fewer than 28 industry partners and companies are participating, with the aim of developing a battery ecosystem in the Netherlands that can accelerate the transition to climate-neutral (heavy duty) mobility. This project is aimed at further developing the partners' battery systems into battery systems that can be produced semi-automatically. A battery demo line, built at VDL in Born, has been developed and tested recently. The demo line has demonstrated our knowledge and skills in the field of industrialization and automation. VDL Groep is co-founder and partner of the knowledge cluster for batteries, Battery Competence Cluster NL (BCC-NL). This cluster supports the Green Transport & Delta - Electrification project with knowledge and skills. The two new production lines that will be used in Born for the assembly of the battery modules for BMW Group, and any other clients, are different production lines than the demo line, which is part of the Green Transport & Delta - Electrification project.
