The Ministry of Industry and Trade, Škoda Auto trade union leader Jaroslav Povšík and a representative of ČEZ, who did not wish to be named, confirmed the E15 daily discussion on the specific date of the visit of Volkswagen’s Chairman of the Board concerning the construction of the gigafactory. Diess’s arrival is expected in the near future. The VW Group has not yet responded to questions from the E15 daily.
“The visit has business-political value, especially in terms of gigafactory localization, but also in the further development of e-mobility, employment, products or the supply industry,” says Povšík.
He mentions the possible location of the factory in the north of Bohemia, where ČEZ is already exploring the possibilities of mining lithium, the “metal of the future” key to batteries. The largest European deposit of strategic metal is located in Cínovec. Sokolovsko, Chebsko and Prunéřov are among the selected locations where the gigafactory could stand.
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By 2030, Volkswagen wants to build six gigatars on the old continent, one of them could be in the Czech Republic, Poland or Slovakia. The government will decide on an investment incentive in the order of several billion crowns, which should motivate VW to choose the Czech Republic.
“The multibillion-dollar support would go to the government’s biggest investment, and that’s a gigafactory. Everything is moving in the right direction and there is a good chance that we will be one of the European countries that will have a gigafactory, “said Havlíček in the Chamber of Deputies last week, who is taking part in negotiations with representatives of Volkswagen, Škoda Auto and ČEZ. If the German giant pointed to the Czechia, the total investment of all parties involved would be about fifty billion, Havlíček told the E15 newspaper earlier.
In an imaginary duel with Slovakia and Poland, the Czechia wants to compete with direct and indirect incentives. An unspecified part of the investment in tangible assets would therefore be paid by the State, which would provide tax relief to investors.
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Škoda Auto and ČEZ do not want to comment on their visit to Diesse, but they have already emphasized their interest in the establishment of a gigafactory in the Czech Republic. CEZ is also interested in electromobility and its components because they are to be one of the drivers of future growth in electricity consumption in the European Union.
The Czechia has a competitive advantage over other countries in a geographical location close to Germany, but is disadvantaged by its cold interest in electromobility and its weak support, points out Petr Knap, an expert in the automotive industry.
“For the successful future role of countries and clusters, it will be crucial where the components of the future, such as advanced batteries, car control systems, infotainment and car software content, are developed, manufactured and assembled. Many of these investments are being played out right now, ”says Knap.
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“It is necessary to react very quickly, because changes in the automotive industry always take a few years due to product cycles, but then they have great inertia. Many European countries have been perceiving these opportunities for a long time and, together with the state administration, have focused on attracting such investments. This has not been the case in the Czech Republic for over four years of calling the industry, “adds Knap.
According to trade unionist Povšík, the group believes that the distribution of products from the Czech gigafactory to the European Union would be advantageous. If the representatives of the government, Škoda and ČEZ convinced the Group of the Czech Republic as the right choice, Škoda would have a battery for electric cars close by. “This would improve the approval of new car models with e-propulsion,” says Povšík.
At present, European carmakers are dependent on the supply of batteries as a key component from Asia, which in turn makes the already high price of electric cars on the European market more expensive. Therefore, dozens of battery factories are to be built in Europe in the coming years. The investment appetite of the VW Group is, among other things, the answer of the American Tesla, which is building a gigafactory near Berlin.
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