VW's Chattanooga Plant Is Looking Out For Mother Earth

Volkswagen is looking to lead the electric vehicle segment and plans to dethrone Tesla in the coming years. That's quite a claim, but evidence suggests the German giant is slowly gaining on Musk's carmaker. Vehicles such as the ID.4 are proving popular, and sales should increase now that the electric crossover is built at VW's Chattanooga plant in the USA.

Like the electric vehicles that spew out of its doors, the Chattanooga facility was designed with sustainability in mind. Volkswagen says the plant was designed to operate as part of VW's climate initiatives. This includes the reduction and offsetting of CO2 emissions and the end goal of being carbon neutral by 2050.

Chattanooga is one of 53 VW Group factories that uses 100% renewable electricity and, since 2021, the Tennessee-based facility has reduced plant CO2 emissions by 67.3%.

The factory boasts one of the biggest solar fields in the state and is capable of generating 13 GWh of electricity every year. This is enough to supply the factory with up to 12.5% of the energy required during peak manufacturing hours, and 100% the rest of the time.

The grass around the solar fields is even trimmed sustainably. A flock of sheep wanders about, chomping away at the lawn. In return, they seek refuge from the sun under the cool shade of the panels. But it's not just our bleating friends that enjoy a good relationship with VW Chattanooga.

When construction was completed, the automaker agreed to help protect the environment through several initiatives. In 2019, it donated $1.25 million to help conserve land near the Cherokee National Forest. The sizeable gratuity helped The Conservation Fund secure 1,500 acres that are now protected by the US Forest Service.