Volvo Cars has confirmed it will invest £810 million in its Torslanda manufacturing plant in Sweden in preparation for building the next generation of all-electric cars.
Torslanda is Volvo Cars’ largest manufacturing facility with an annual production capacity of 300,000 cars.
The planned investment will have the automaker introduce a number of new sustainable technologies and manufacturing processes in the plant.
One of the most significant changes will be a new production technique called mega-casting.
This is when you mould a section of a vehicle with as many components built into the panel as possible.
In Volvo’s case, it wants to use the mega-casting technique to create a single aluminium body floor pan.
This reduces the weight of the vehicle, which improves the energy efficiency and therefore the range of the car.
Fewer parts also means a more streamlined manufacturing process, creating further cost savings in terms of materials used and logistics.
Other planned changes are a new battery assembly plant to integrate battery cells and modules in the car’s floor structure, and a fully refurbished assembly shop.
Volvo has also said it will improve its logistics area to speed up material flow and optimise the transport of goods to and from the plant.
“With these investments, we take an important step towards our all-electric future and prepare for even more advanced and better electric Volvos,” said Håkan Samuelsson, chief executive of Volvo Cars.
“Torslanda will play a crucial role in our ongoing transformation as we move towards becoming a pure electric car maker by 2030.”