Electrifying Partnership: Solarwatt & Webasto
In the coming years, the Webasto plant in Schierling will manufacture six-figure number of cell modules for Solarwatt. The cooperation also includes energy management, installations and sales of charging solutions.
Stockdorf/Munich - June 14, 2021 – The demand for Webasto products 'Made in Schierling' continues to pick up: Around 120 of 340 employees are currently working in battery production at the site in the district of Regensburg – and the trend is rising. In the future, however, Schierling will not only produce battery systems and roofs up to six days a week, but also cell modules for electricity storage systems. A cooperation with Solarwatt, a Dresden-based manufacturer of photovoltaic systems enables this next step.
On behalf of Solarwatt, Webasto manufactures cell modules, which are also deployed in BMW Group vehicles, on a specially equipped production line. The components come from BMW and are used according to Solarwatt's specifications for a cell module, which is then used in the stationary home storage system Solarwatt Battery flex.
The short time period in which Webasto was able to realize this project is remarkable: In just over a year, both the logistics processes were organized and manufacturing was integrated into the existing production processes at the Schierling plant. Once again, Webasto demonstrates its longtime expertise in supporting customers in complex projects from the very beginning. "This cooperation demonstrates the range of target groups we address with our expertise in the battery sector," says Hartung Wilstermann, Executive Vice President Battery Systems.
The collaboration with Solarwatt also covers energy management, installations and sales of charging solutions. The Webasto Live charging station is compatible with Solarwatt's energy manager. This means that in the best case scenario, customers will be charging their electric vehicles with self-generated solar energy in the future.
Over 100 Webasto Live charging stations have already been sold as part of the cooperation, and the number is expected to rise to 1000 by the end of the year. A network of premium installers from Solarwatt will take care of the installation of the wallbox.
"We place particular emphasis on premium quality in our products and our Solarwatt Battery flex battery storage system is no exception. We are very pleased to have Webasto, a leading global automotive supplier with the very highest quality standards, as our partner for the production of the cell module," says Solarwatt CEO Detlef Neuhaus.