Manufacture of passenger cars and vehicle components including battery systems and battery recycling
Volkswagen AG
Wolfsburg · Braunschweig · Emden · Salzgitter · DresdenNew on Amplifa
About Volkswagen AG
Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, is a German automotive manufacturer that produces passenger cars with combustion as well as fully electric drivetrains. The value chain includes the press shop, body shop and vehicle assembly; the toolmaking and engineering division also manufactures complete production lines. At the Braunschweig components plant, the company's oldest plant, axles, steering systems, brake discs, swivel bearings, dampers and battery systems are produced; Braunschweig is the lead plant for the chassis and battery system business fields. At the Emden plant, the fully electric models ID.4, ID.7 and ID.7 Tourer have been produced since the conversion in 2020. At the Salzgitter pilot plant, Volkswagen has been working since 2020 on a closed material cycle in which raw materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium are recovered from end-of-life vehicle batteries. NMC and LFP cell chemistries are used for the batteries.
- Site
- Wolfsburg
- Processes
- Vehicle manufacturing (press shop, body shop, vehicle assembly, loading station), Toolmaking and engineering (production line construction), Production of axles, steering systems, brake discs, swivel bearings, dampers, battery systems, Battery recycling (recovery of cobalt, nickel, lithium), Vehicle production (combustion and electric vehicles), Vehicle components (axles, steering systems, battery systems, toolmaking and engineering), Battery recycling / circular economy, Customer service, maintenance and inspection
- Materials
- Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt, Lithium, Graphite, Copper, Iron, Phosphate
- Certificates
- 360° used car check with quality certificate
- Industries
- Automotive industry, Electromobility, Battery technology/recycling, Automotive financing
- 01
Toolmaking and engineering (production lines)
- 02
Press shop
- 03
Body shop
- 04
Component manufacturing (chassis, battery systems)
- 05
Vehicle assembly
- 06
Loading station/despatch
- 07
Battery recycling (closed material cycle)
Materials and Processes
Nickel, manganese, cobalt (NMC batteries)
Cell chemistry with high energy density for long ranges of the ID models.
Lithium, iron, phosphate (LFP batteries)
Lithium iron phosphate cells are considered particularly stable and durable.
Graphite
Used as anode material in the lithium-ion batteries.
Copper
Approx. 25 kg per 58-kWh battery for cables and current conductors for energy transmission.
Iron and phosphate
Basic compounds of LFP battery technology, abundantly available worldwide.
Steel
Material for body shop and press shop; manganese is used, among other things, to improve the formability of steel.
Aluminium
Material used in vehicle manufacturing.
Locations
Wolfsburg
DE- Materials
- Steel, aluminium
- Automobile plant with press shop, body shop, vehicle assembly
- Loading station
Braunschweig
DEComponents plant (oldest VW plant), lead plant for the chassis and battery system business fields
- Materials
- Steel, copper
- 3 plants: production of axles, steering systems, brake discs, swivel bearings, dampers, battery systems
- Toolmaking and engineering (production line construction)
Emden
DEVehicle plant for electric vehicles (ID.4, ID.7, ID.7 Tourer); converted to electric vehicles in 2020
- Materials
- Steel, aluminium
- Electric vehicle plant with body shop hall and vehicle assembly
- Shipping storage areas and driver testing track
Salzgitter
DEBattery recycling pilot plant (closed material cycle)
- Materials
- Lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, manganese, copper, iron, phosphate
- Battery recycling pilot plant (since 2020)
Dresden
DETransparent Factory (vehicle collection/experience location)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle manufacturing (press shop, body shop, vehicle assembly, loading station)Assembly | – | – | – | – | Steel, Aluminium |
| Toolmaking and engineering (production line construction)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Production of axles, steering systems, brake discs, swivel bearings, dampers, battery systemsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Battery recycling (recovery of cobalt, nickel, lithium)Surface | – | – | – | – | Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Graphite, Manganese, Copper, Iron, Phosphate |
4 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automobile plant | Volkswagen AG | 1 | – | – | Wolfsburg |
| Components plant (chassis and battery system, 3 plants) | Volkswagen AG | 3 | – | – | Braunschweig |
| Electric vehicle plant (ID.4, ID.7, ID.7 Tourer) | Volkswagen AG | 1 | – | – | Emden |
| Battery recycling pilot plant | Volkswagen AG | 1 | – | 2020 | Salzgitter |
Additional services
Quality
The quality of VW-certified used cars is verified through a comprehensive 360° used car check and confirmed with a quality certificate. For combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles, inspections and maintenance are carried out with Volkswagen Original Parts in Volkswagen workshops.
| Evidence | Wolfsburg | Braunschweig | Emden | Salzgitter | Dresden |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 360° used car check with quality certificate |
History
- 1945
First Beetle rolled off the assembly line at the Wolfsburg parent plant.
- 1964
Foundation of the Emden plant; in the same year the first Beetle rolled off the line there; over 12 million vehicles produced to date.
- 2020
Start of building a closed battery material cycle at the Salzgitter pilot plant; conversion of the Emden plant for the production of electric vehicles.