Hessen has Europe’s largest battery systems factory now

On November 17, 2017, AKASOL and Hessen’s Minister of Economics, Tarek Al-Wazir, inaugurated Europe’s largest battery systems factory for electric vehicles, boasting a capacity of 600 MWh (3,000 e-buses) per year. The company from Darmstadt is creating up to 150 new jobs in Langen (Hessen).

High-performance battery systems for hybrid and e-buses are being produced on a semi-automated production line. “We have managed to overcome the challenges of line production and we are now ready for mass manufacturing,” highlights Sven Schulz, managing director of AKASOL GmbH.

With large-scale orders in hand after successful tests by numerous fleet operators, the European market for hybrid and e-buses is expected to grow by 35 percent per year. Wiesbaden, for example, plans to convert its own fleet of 220 buses while large European cities such as Paris, London and Hamburg plan to only order electric buses starting in 2020.

The founding of Akasol’s battery systems factory in Langen was supported by the investor consultants from Hessen Trade & Invest GmbH in cooperation with WIBank in Wiesbaden.

Hessen is also doubling up on its efforts in the area of electro-mobility: funding for this area will increase to almost 7 million euro in the upcoming year. This represents a 7-fold increase in funding for this legislative period. Additionally, 5 million euro are already available for municipalities which want to acquire e-buses. “Hessen wants to be a pioneer in the transportation revolution,” emphasizes Minister of Economics and Transport Tarek Al-Wazir at the congress “Electro-mobility for Commercial Uses” in Langen.

Further information about the economic hub of Hessen can be found at www.invest-in-hessen.com.