A new battery era in Mladá Boleslav
In the presence of government representatives, Škoda Auto launched production of a new generation of MEB+ batteries in the M8 hall. It is the first VW Group plant in Europe to mass-produce batteries using cell-to-pack technology. With an investment of €205 million and an annual capacity of up to 335,000 battery systems, the carmaker has become one of Europe’s key electromobility centres.
New Battery Era
in Mladá Boleslav
Four stacking lines and one assembly line, 234,000 cells per day and 84% automation. Škoda Auto has launched production of a new generation of batteries, known as MEB+, in the M8 hall.
Near the D10 motorway, Škoda Auto has launched series production of batteries with an innovative internal design in the M8 hall. The new production hall uses modern processes, and for the first time, the carmaker is producing batteries directly from cells rather than modules. The battery blocks, internally referred to as stacks (from battery stack, meaning a block or set of cells – ed.), are produced directly in Mladá Boleslav, and this is the first production of its kind within the VW Group in Europe. Škoda Auto will also supply batteries to other brands within the group, and they will be used in a range of future electric vehicles based on the MEB platform.
4
Each of the four lines produces four battery stacks every 30 seconds from the supplied cells. Their dimensions have a tolerance of hundredths of a millimetre.
234,000
That is how many cells the assembly lines process per day, producing 9,000 stacks, from which over 1,122 batteries are made per day.
Brand-new plant
The entire project was completed in record time. Just one year passed between the start of construction and the production of the first battery. Production is now underway on 55,000 m2, bringing entirely new expertise to Mladá Boleslav. The batteries are manufactured here in two stages. First, battery stacks are created from individual cells on four lines. In the next stage of assembly, eight stacks are combined to form a single MEB+ battery with a capacity of 61 kWh.
The new production facility features a high degree of automation. “In terms of the number of production stations, this amounts to about 84%,” says Jan Houser, GS5 battery assembly coordinator from the PKP/3 department, adding that in the stage involving the cells themselves the figure is 86%. For example, robots assemble the cells into stacks, ensure precise welding and perform over 936,000 welds per day. A total of 600 employees are involved in the overall operation of the hall, and the assembly line runs in three shifts, five days a week. “Machine setters and other new specialist professions that we have brought to Škoda Auto with this project play an important role,” says J. Houser. Continuous quality control also plays a key role. Camera systems verify almost every step of production, and the cells and batteries undergo a series of tests during production to check voltage, safety and battery parameters. In fact, there are 270 cameras throughout the production process. In case of any problems, there are 11 fire safety emergency containers in the hall.
With the opening of the new plant, Škoda Auto has become the largest European manufacturer of BEV battery systems for electric cars within the VW Group.
The assembly of the batteries itself involves a series of technically demanding steps, with Škoda Auto drawing on its experience from previous operations and further refining quality in individual details. “We use optimised methods for attaching battery covers with self-tapping screws and for treating battery parts with wax. At the same time, we are integrating new technologies into the process, such as laser welding of cells or gluing them into the battery,” says J. Houser, listing the important stages of the assembly process.
936,000
During the production of stacks, robots perform over 936,000 welds daily. In addition, 84% of production is robotised.
1,200,000
That is how many cells the internal cell warehouse in the M8 hall can hold in 5,000 returnable containers.
Logistics opportunity
The expansion of battery production to include work with the actual cells and the fact that the Czech carmaker will also supply batteries with a capacity of 61 kWh to other VW Group brands (in addition to Mladá Boleslav, they will also be sent to Emden, Hanover, Zwickau and Ingolstadt) presented a new logistical challenge. In the case of the battery cells themselves, the PL – Brand Logistics department focused primarily on ensuring a robust supply process for the assembly line. Therefore, after the cells are delivered to the warehouse, an external logistics company performs a thorough automated inspection using AI-based image recognition. This supplier also automatically repackages the cells into special returnable containers, which Škoda uses in its own production. “It’s a unique process that ensures the cells reach the line in perfect condition,” says Jan Křikava, Head of the PLL-A –Logistics Planning Abroad & Components department.
Finished batteries, on the other hand, leave the line on special pallets, steel frames that were also developed by specialists from Mladá Boleslav. The implementation of this new concept has led to a significant reduction in the cost of pallets, which will also benefit the VW Group, which will also use them. “We are influencing the entire concept of battery logistics at the VW Group, including the development of these pallet systems. We are also responsible for all planning and purchasing for the battery currently being introduced,” adds J. Křikava.
Special pallets with finished batteries are transported around the plant by autonomous trucks, four at a time, and the combined load weighs over two tonnes. For further transport, up to seven batteries can be stacked on pallets.
Big challenge for Škoda employees
Before batteries with new LFP chemistry (see New Generation of MEB+ Batteries) and manufactured from cells instead of modules were supplied from Mladá Boleslav across the VW Group, demanding preparations were made. Construction of the M8 hall itself began in July 2024, and installation of production technology inside the hall began in February 2025. The first test battery was produced on the local lines at the end of June last year, and after further fine-tuning of production and retrofitting of the hall, series production started in February this year.
This required intensive work even outside the production hall itself. The preparation of the production technology was particularly important. “It was developed at a supplier’s site overseas, where the production lines were partially commissioned and the processes were verified on the first test batteries. We then dismantled the production equipment and transported it to Mladá Boleslav in containers,” explains Tomáš Šáfr, Head of the PPK-E –Production Planning E-Mobility department.
At the same time, the first pre-series battery centre was built in Mladá Boleslav, in the existing M6 hall, in 2024, where individual technological procedures and production processes were fine-tuned. “We tested and set the main parameters ourselves here, which the planners immediately implemented in the supplier’s lines after verification,” says T. Šáfr.
This concept made it possible to significantly shorten the entire preparation of the production line and the start of series production. Škoda has thus also become a leading expert in battery production and, with its current capacity, is also the largest manufacturer of batteries for electric cars in the VW Group in Europe.
Production