Sweden’s Northvolt cuts 1,600 amid EV slowdown

The company, which has struggled in its mission to stand up a home-grown supply of electric-vehicle batteries in Europe, said it will reduce its Swedish workforce by 1,600 positions as part of a strategic review that was announced this month. 

The money-saving move comes as Northvolt continues to negotiate a new financing pact with its creditors and investors. The company in January reached agreement on a $5 billion green loan facility, taking its overall debt and equity commitments to more than $13 billion. Lenders have selected investment bank PJT Partners to help advise on options, Bloomberg News reported last week. 

The manufacturer’s rapidly mounting challenges have placed at risk Europe’s ambition to build an EV battery-making champion. The company, which earlier this year was contemplating an initial public offering, has come under increasing strain as a production ramp-up faltered, EV demand slowed and battery-cell competition from China intensified.

Northvolt has also faced a string of health and safety concerns ranging from worker deaths and injuries to reports of toxic chemical leaks. Local business daily Dagens Industri reported this month that the company was looking to raise 7.5 billion kronor ($737 million) to make September’s payroll. 

The company said Monday it was paring back other plans to focus on raising production at its main plant in Skelleftea, in northern Sweden. Higher battery-cell output would help generate much-needed revenue, a goal that’s so far proven elusive. BMW AG backed out of a €2 billion ($2.1 billion) order in June after experiencing quality issues, while lead investor Volkswagen AG’s Scania trucks has complained of slow deliveries.

Volkswagen, owner of an about 20% stake in Northvolt, on Monday reiterated its support for ramping up the company’s existing production lines. It declined to comment on any financial investments. BMW said it hadn’t changed its investment in the battery maker, which stood at 2.8% at the end of 2023, and had no plans to do so. A spokesman declined to comment on whether it would take part in any further investment rounds to maintain its ownership level.

Northvolt’s job losses amount to 25% of its Swedish staff, and 20% worldwide. The local reductions will be split across its main Skelleftea factory, where 1,000 jobs will be cut, its plant in Vasteras with 400 workers and Stockholm with 200 positions, according to Monday’s statement. All redundancies are subject to ongoing union negotiations, the company said.

“It’s incredibly sad to have to announce this in a company that you have worked 24 hours a day for during the last eight years,” Chief Executive Officer Peter Carlsson said on local radio. He added that he will provide an update on investor talks once there’s more information. “We are continuously working, in dialog with investors,” he said. 

The company said it will suspend an expansion project at Skelleftea, where an added 30 gigawatt hours of annual cell-manufacturing capacity had been planned. The decision follows an announcement earlier this month to place its cathode active material facility “into care and maintenance.” 

In Vasteras, Northvolt will slow the programs and expansion at Northvolt Labs.

“It has taken longer and required more efforts here in Skelleftea to ramp up production,” Carlsson said. “Although we have seen positive tendencies in the past few weeks, we have to be more focused, reduce costs and thereby reduce our need for capital to reach profitability sooner.”