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Volvo building U.S. battery assembly plant
In preparation for bringing a new line of electric vehicles to the U.S. market, Volvo announced it will build a battery assembly plant at its existing facility in Ridgeville, South Carolina.
The battery assembly plant is part of a USD 600 million expansion project in Ridgeville, which began rolling out the Swedish automaker’s luxury sport sedan, the S60, in late 2018. The current expansion also includes a second production line, for an electrified version of its flagship XC90 crossover, and Volvo Car University.
A spokesperson told Automotive News that approximately 1,000 jobs will be created for the XC90 production line but did not confirm how many jobs might be created for the battery assembly plant.
Construction of the battery assembly plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2021, according to Automotive News, and employees will assemble and test lithium ion battery packs that will power the crossover. The overall effort in South Carolina aligns with Volvo’s publicized “build where you sell” global manufacturing strategy.
The Ridgeville plant, which sits 45 miles northwest of Charleston and employs 1,500 people, will become the company’s global production center for the third-generation flagship XC90. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2022.
