Daimler Truck and Manz partner for production of li-ion batteries

On left, Yaris Pürsün, head of Global Powersystems Daimler Truck and Martin Drasch, CEO, Manz

Daimler Truck is to take an approximately 10% stake in Manz, a German engineering company specialising in machine manufacturing that supports e-mobility programmes.

Specifically, the agreement covers a partnership which will establish a pilot line for production of lithium-ion battery cells and battery packs produced at Daimler Truck’s Mannheim plant for application to both trucks and buses.

Dr. Andreas Gorbach, member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck, said: “The partnership between Daimler Truck and Manz forms an essential cornerstone of our battery strategy.”

He continued: “It is fundamental to have battery cells that meet the extremely specific requirements in trucks and buses… Together with Manz, we will shape this requirement - our pilot line for the production of battery cells at the Mercedes-Benz plant Mannheim is a key step in this direction.”

Mannheim is the competence centre for battery technologies and high-voltage systems at Daimler Truck. The facility already delivers packs used in produced of the new, all-electric eActros.

The first Mercedes-Benz eActros rolls of the line at the Future Truck Center

At the InnoLab Battery at Mannheim, development and production areas work together to deliver solutions for trucks and buses. In the future, the company’s own lithium-ion battery cells will be developed and manufactured on a pilot line.

More than 60 new machines and systems will be set up in the coming months in the approximately 10,000 square metre InnoLab. By the end of 2024, research findings will be incorporated into development of Daimler Truck’s battery-electric product platform.

The findings from this lab will also form the basis for decisions regarding the manufacturing direction for future battery systems.

Martin Drasch, CEO of Manz, said: “Manz has decades of experience in process and product development in the battery sector, as well as proven expertise in the realization of large-scale projects. With our innovative production concepts and solutions for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, we are therefore the ideal partner to successfully play an active role in shaping Daimler Truck’s electrification strategy.”