In 2024, Mercedes-Benz will invest €14 billion research and development and in its plants – and a significant proportion will be channelled into the development of batteries and electric drive systems.

This is interesting insofar as there has been a lot of media coverage about the firm`s focus on high end EVs not paying off in the current market.

The new “Industrial Cell Lab” covers the entire product and process chain of cell development and production, and enables the development of expertise for an economical manufacturing process.

The aim is to develop innovative chemical compositions and optimised production processes for high-performance cells with “Mercedes-Benz DNA” and reduce battery costs by more than 30 percent in the coming years.

Ultimately, the opening of the eCampus marks an important step in the firm`s sustainable business strategy. By 2039, Mercedes aims for its fleet of new vehicles to be net carbon neutral over their entire lifecycle. In addition to decarbonisation, one of the most important levers for this is the establishment of a truly circular economy in order to conserve primary resources. Mercedes-Benz is pursuing a holistic approach to batteries, focussing on three core issues: circular design, value retention and closing the loop.

It is great news for Germany`s economy and a strong signal for its faith in Germany`s innovation capabilities that Mercedes invests locally rather than going abroad with this eCampus.