Photo from when Peter Carlsson met with the media in Stockholm on Friday, shortly after the announcement of his resignation as CEO of Northvolt.
On Sunday evening, Peter Carlsson was interviewed on SVT's live news program Agenda. During the interview, the outgoing CEO was asked a number of questions, including when production would reach the necessary levels.
– Production is increasing continuously. If we look at the production line that supplies Scania, it's producing approximately 60% more than it did four or five months ago. It's increasing, but we need to scale it up and add more lines, Carlsson explained.
He also acknowledged that it would take some time for Northvolt to become profitable.
– Realistically, it will be 2026 before we start to see profitability, he said.
The presenter also inquired about Northvolt's competitiveness against Asian companies, which already have a significant production capacity and lower costs. Peter Carlsson highlighted the quality of Northvolt's battery cells as a key differentiator.
– Another factor is environmental sustainability, he added.
– Our Skellefteå plant has a carbon footprint that's one-third that of a comparable Chinese or Korean supplier.
The presenter noted the impact of Northvolt's crisis on many individuals. When asked if Northvolt should have sounded the alarm earlier about the ongoing issues, Carlsson acknowledged:
– When production in Skellefteå didn't meet expectations, we probably should have hit the brakes sooner. I take responsibility for that, he said. However, he expressed hope that the problems would eventually be resolved.
– We've faced similar challenges before. In Västerås, we encountered significant hurdles, but we overcame them and continued to progress. However, the large-scale nature of the Skellefteå factory and its setup have taken longer than anticipated, he explained.
When production in Skellefteå didn’t go as planned, we probably should have hit the brakes earlier, says Peter Carlsson in the interview with Agenda.
He also mentioned that the company took measures in response to a "tougher financing climate," including a hiring freeze.
– We haven't been actively recruiting new employees during this recent crisis, he said.
Last week, the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US. The Agenda presenter asked if Northvolt would consider a similar process in Sweden.
– We may explore a Swedish reconstruction process as well, but no decision has been made yet, Carlsson replied.