Volvo to triple electric vehicle production capacity at Belgium plant

Volvo is planning to triple its electric vehicle manufacturing capacity at its plant in Ghent, Belgium in order to meet the fast growing demand for its line-up of chargeable cars. By 2022, the production of EVs will increase to around 60 per cent of the plant's total production capacity.

The decision to increase capacity comes as Volvo reported its full-year sales results for 2020, which showed a strong growth in demand for the company’s electric models. The share of battery cars as a percentage of total sales more than doubled in 2020 as compared to 2019.

Volvo's Ghent plant currently builds the XC40 Recharge, the company’s first fully electric car, as well as a plug-in hybrid version of the XC40. The plant is preparing to take a second fully electric Volvo model, based on the CMA modular vehicle architecture, into production later this year. “Our future is electric and customers clearly like what they see from our Recharge cars," said Javier Varela, head of global industrial operations and quality.

Volvo is committed to becoming a premium electric car company and plans to launch several fully electric cars in the coming times. By 2025, the company aims for its global sales to consist of 50 per cent fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids.

Apart from Ghent, Volvo also has plans to increase electric car manufacturing capacity at its other facilities around the globe. Last month, the carmaker announced that it will assemble electric motors at its powertrain plant in Skövde, Sweden. It further plans to establish complete in-house e-motor production by mid-decade. The company is also investing significantly in the in-house design and development of e-motors for the next generation of Volvo cars.