I am extremely proud that a German maker of electric cars of the future will base its main production in Bulgaria. This sentiment was shared by Minister of Economy Kiril Petkov, who, on 10 July, signed with Next.e.GO Mobile SE the paperwork finalising a procedure to launch the company’s investment project in Bulgaria.
Minister Petkov noted that our country was selected in competition with other European countries. He explained that the entire aluminium frame, the cables and the software will be made in Bulgaria.
The German company will invest in building the first-of-its-kind electric car plant in the country. The planned facility in Lovech is the culmination of a successful cooperation between the Ministry of Economy, Automotive Cluster Bulgaria and private investors as well as institutions from Bulgaria and Germany. Minister of Economy Kiril Petkov and representatives of the company demonstrated and tested the vehicles for the media.
The German company, which will operate in Bulgaria through a subsidiary called Next.e.GO Bulgaria AD, is expected to invest over BGN 280m and install capacity enough for the production of more than 30,000 electric cars annually. The new facility will take up part of the Balkan AD site in Lovech, where some of the first ever cars, bicycles, motorcycles and planes in Bulgaria used to be made.
Based in the German city of Aachen, Next.e.GO Mobile SE is a manufacturer of electric vehicles and sustainable mobility systems. Its facility in Bulgaria will make the following models: e.GO Life 70, e.GO Life Sport, e.GO Life Cross.
Among the suppliers of original car parts for Next.e.GO are some of Germany’s most prestigious Tier 1 producers, such as Bosch, Continental, ZF, Hella, etc. The drivetrain is designed by Bosch specifically for e.GO Life and has a projected life expectancy of over 20 years without need for maintenance. In addition, maintenance services for e.GO vehicles will be provided by hundreds of Bosch Car Service workshops located in cities across the country.
The planned cutting-edge car plant is currently being designed, with construction expected to be completed in record time by the end of next year.