Volvo Car Gent is looking ahead, after the production dip of last year. Output of all-electric models is expected to more than triple, while the site wants to reach climate-neutrality in the second half of the year. /Volvo
The chip shortage put a dent in the production of Volvo Car Gent last year. But for 2022, the company is looking forward. The plant plans to triple its output of all-electric models and take its final steps to become a climate-neutral site.
2021 wasn’t the best of years for Volvo Car Gent. While output dropped back from 194 890 units in 2020 to 183 238 (- 6%, the lowest in more than ten years), the headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, confirmed that it withdrew its plans to build a battery factory nearby. In particular, the supply chain problems caused worries, halting the assembly lines for about 40 days over the whole year.
The order book isn’t the issue. On the contrary, the new challenge for the manufacturing plant, which counts Europe as its biggest market, is to meet surging EV sales.
Boosting BEV production
In 2022, Volvo Car Gent plans to build 135 000 all-electric cars. Currently, it assembles two such models: the XC40 Recharge and the C40 Recharge. In 2021, the first one accounted for 24 519 units (13,4 % of total production), while the latter, which went into production as of October last year, weighed in on 3 533 units. Or 1,9% of the total output.
The forecasted figures imply that more than half of the factory production will be BEV vehicles next year.
Towards climate neutrality
In the second half of 2022, Volvo Car Gent aims to become climate neutral. It hopes to reach this goal by further extracting green electricity from solar panels and wind turbines on its site. The factory will also replace its consumption of natural methane with bio-methane. Extracted from organic materials, this renewable energy source is net zero-carbon.
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