Volkswagen boss Herbert Diess has again clearly criticized the German supplier industry for its wait-and-see attitude towards its own battery cell production. “I’m a bit disappointed at this point,” said the manager on Friday at an online industry event of the Handelsblatt .

Growth with entry opportunity for suppliers “We will have further dramatic growth in cell capacity” he said with reference to the batteries needed for electric cars in the coming years. “This is another chance for the big German suppliers to get in there. The growth is not over, the growth begins now.”

When it comes to batteries for electric cars, German car manufacturers are primarily dependent on Asian battery manufacturers, because the development of more efficient batteries was not a focus of the economy in Germany for a long time. Volkswagen is currently setting up its own battery cell production facility in Salzgitter with its Swedish partner Northvolt, in which VW is also involved. “We are now investing billions in building a battery cell production facility with a Swedish start-up – that would of course be much easier with competent partners from German industry,” said Diess. In China, VW has acquired a stake in the battery manufacturer Gotion High-Tech.

“Germany could play a leading role” The VW boss has been reprimanding the German auto suppliers for a long time. They are largely holding back when it comes to battery production because of high capital expenditure and uncertain returns. Continental, for example, does not intend to look into the next generation of solid-state cells until a few years from now. “Germany is a good research location for batteries,” said Diess. “I think Germany could play a leading role if we finally made up our minds.”

(fpi)