TUSCALOOSA, AL—Mercedes-Benz Group AG has opened a new battery assembly plant near its factory here, a few months ahead of when it will start producing electric vehicles. The state-of-the-art facility in Bibb County will provide batteries for the new EQS SUV and EQE SUV.

“The opening of our new battery plant in Alabama is a major milestone on our way to going all-electric,” says Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes-Benz. “With our comprehensive approach, including a local cell sourcing and recycling strategy, we underline the importance of the U.S., where Mercedes-Benz has been successful for decades. We’re proud to create new, future-proof jobs to build all-electric SUVs ‘Made in the USA' at a plant that is such an established part of our production family.”

Envision AESC will supply the factory with lithium-ion battery modules it will produce at a new facility in the United States. According to Källenius, the “highly advanced cell chemistry contains nickel, cobalt and manganese in a ratio of 8:1:1. The reduction of cobalt content to around 10 percent, in addition to the CO₂-neutral production of the batteries, enhances sustainability.”