Volvo has announced the introduction of a brand-new battery assembly line at its manufacturing plant in Ghent, Belgium, where it will build its first fully electric car later this year.
The manufacturer’s ambitious plan to become climate-neutral by 2040, means a step-up in its electrification strategy is needed, with the company aiming to reduce its cars’ lifetime carbon footprints by 40% between 2018 and 2025.
In 2019, the company signed a long-term supply agreement with leading battery suppliers CATL of China and LG Chem of South Korea, and for the next five years Volvo will develop, produce and release an electric car as it strives to make fully battery powered cars 50% of all global sales by 2025, with the remainder being hybrid variants.
Geert Bruyneel, head of Volvo’s global production operations, commented, “I am pleased to celebrate this momentous occasion with our employees here in Ghent. As the first of our plants to get a battery assembly line, Ghent plays a pioneering role as we continue to prepare our manufacturing network for electrification.”