Mr. Seitz, with your team you are building batteries for the next generation of electric vehicles. What is the challenge here?
Electromobility is changing the automotive industry from the ground up. At Mercedes-Benz, we aspire to be at the forefront, and as part of the powertrain, the battery is a key component in achieving this. With our work in the start-up factory, we make a direct contribution, for example, when it comes to increasing the efficiency and range of electric vehicles. We are right on the pulse of development; this requires a lot of creativity, know-how and flexibility.
What exactly do you mean by that?
Every new component for our vehicles goes through an elaborate testing process. The batteries we build at the start-up factory in Kirchheim unter Teck (near Stuttgart) are extensively tested in trials on the test bench or on the test track and optimized for use in our new generations of vehicles. Each battery is virtually unique. Therefore, the production of a prototype can sometimes take several days. In addition, we have the opportunity here to incorporate the concerns and requirements of subsequent series production into the development work at a very early stage and thus influence product design in the interests of production.
And how do you proceed building a battery prototype like this?
We manufacture each battery by hand, precisely to the specifications of our colleagues in development. If, for example, the test setup has changed and an additional screw connection is required, we will find a solution for how to adapt the components. In the process, every change is precisely documented for the further development steps. This is pure engineering!