ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ

Technology

Inside the gigafactory producing the greenest batteries in the world

Northvolt says that its massive factory in Sweden will soon produce enough batteries each year to power a million electric cars, with a much smaller carbon footprint than those made in China

By Michael Le Page

27 June 2023

The Northvolt Ett factory in Sweden

Northvolt Ett

On a journey out of SkellefteÃ¥, an industrial town in the north of Sweden, I pass several large factories. But they are all dwarfed by my destination – , the first battery “gigafactory” to begin production in Europe.

“You need to see it to believe it,” says Anders Thor of , the firm behind the factory. He isn’t wrong. As Thor points out, the Pentagon – the largest office building in the world and home to the US defence department – could fit into the site with plenty of room to spare.

Much of…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, today with our introductory offers

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account
Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop