戴姆勒公司将在德国建立新的锂电池工厂，此举标志着车厂向绿色新能源领域迈出的一大步。新工厂选址距离德累斯顿31英里（约合50公里），位于柏林以南80英里（约合128公里）。该厂将临近戴姆勒目前的电池工厂，投产后电池产量将是目前的四倍。随着电动车和电池技术的快速发展，世界主要车厂发现在与特斯拉的竞争中处于不利地位。特斯拉位于内华达州Sparks的电池工厂明年锂电池产量将达到全面产能，恰巧满足大规模量产后的Model 3对电池的需求。戴姆勒新工厂在奔驰在电动车领域追赶特斯拉的努力扮演关键角色。目前，奔驰在电动车市场已经落后于特斯拉，但奔驰有一个庞大的计划，在2022年之前要推出各种电池驱动车辆。戴姆勒董事长蔡澈表示，奔驰将推出超过10款电动乘用车，另外还将继续使旗下车型混动化。奔驰将利用EQ品牌打造电动车生态系统。
Daimler Targets Tesla, Breaks Ground On Big New Battery Factory
Daimler AG is taking a big step in the green direction with its new lithium-ion battery factory in Germany. The chosen site is 31 miles from Dresden or approximately 80 miles south of Berlin, and when completed in 2018 will encompass nearly 50 acres. The plant will be built in the vicinity of Daimler’s existing battery factory, and once active it will quadruple current production.
With advances in electric vehicles and battery technology progressing rapidly, the world’s major automakers find themselves in the unlikely position of playing catch-up to Tesla in the electric market. The company’s own Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada is expected to reach full lithium-ion battery production next year, just in time for the influx of mass-market Model 3 cars that Tesla is expecting to sell.
Daimler’s new facility will certainly play a key role in Mercedes’ attempts to trump Tesla in the electric realm. The manufacturer has lagged behind in bringing electric cars to market, but Mercedes has an ambitious plan to launch a range of battery-powered vehicles in a variety of genres by 2022.
“We will have more than ten purely electric passenger cars in series,” said Zetsche. “We also continue to drive forward the hybridization of our fleet. Under the EQ brand, we are creating a holistic ecosystem for e-mobility.”