Stuttgart-based plant engineering company Exyte has received an order from Volkswagen to build the dry room for the group’s first battery cell gigafactory in Salzgitter, Germany.

Exyte says it is responsible for the planning, procurement, construction and commissioning of the dry room, which will cover an area the size of five football pitches. A dry room is a space in which the environment is as clean and dry as possible. A space like that is needed to produce battery cells of high and, above all, consistent quality.

At the moment, it is only an order for the PowerCo factory in Salzgitter, but the VW Group plans six of these 40-GWh factories in Europe. Experts reckon up to 150 gigafactories could be built worldwide in the coming years. In Europe alone, 30 gigafactories are currently being planned.

With a vast experience in delivering semiconductor fabs globally for over half a century, and having had already designed and built a gigafactory with what is currently the largest dry room in Europe, Exyte has a proven track record and the profound expertise to successfully execute the project in Salzgitter. Garvey comments: “This is another significant milestone not just for Exyte but also for our client as both companies are committed to supporting the rising megatrend of electromobility for a more sustainable automotive industry.”

The new plant in Salzgitter will act as the blueprint and a prelude to Volkswagen’s plan to expand the electric vehicle battery cell production capabilities across Europe and North America. Until 2030, Volkswagen plans to invest over 20 billion euro in the development of the battery business to generate over 20 billion euro in annual sales and create up to 20,000 jobs in Europe alone. Both Valencia, Spain, and Ontario, Canada, have already been announced as the locations for their next gigafactories.

The cornerstone for the battery cell factory in Salzgitter was laid in July 2022. Construction of the machinery and equipment began about a year later. The factory is expected to produce the Volkswagen Group’s unified cell and have an annual capacity of 40 GWh from 2025.