Swedish battery maker Northvolt, better known as Europe’s first “gigafactory”, began commercial deliveries to carmakers last week. Europe is increasingly seeking to oppose Asian dominance over the supply of some batteries for electric vehicles, Bloomberg reports.
The first deliveries, which came from Northvolt’s plant in Shelefteo, Sweden, were made on schedule, a company spokesman said. It employs about 150 people a month in the plant, which currently employs about 1,000 workers.
Northvolt’s launch has been a success for Europe in the battery industry, but soaring commodity prices, including lithium and cobalt, are a problem.
Northvolt, which plans to increase production for the rest of the year, said it has provided more than $ 50 billion in contracts from electric car makers such as BMW, Volkswagen, Volvo Car and Polestar.