How electric cars are made
An electric car has no engine, but the battery pack under its floor is the heaviest single part.
- stations
- 8
- things upstream
- 130
- raw sources
- 34
- steps from the ground
- 10
The short version
An electric car is built much like any car: pressed panels welded into a shell, painted, then fitted out on an assembly line. The difference is underneath. In place of an engine and fuel tank, the plant fits an electric drive unit and a large battery pack in the floor, along with chargers and power electronics.
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Press the body panels
Presses shape flat sheet into panels. Because the battery is heavy, makers often choose lighter aluminum for some parts to offset it.
Goes in -
Weld up the shell
Robots join the panels into a body with a flat floor, which is built to carry the battery pack and protect it in a crash.
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Paint the body
Cars with electric drive go through the same dip, spray and bake routine as any other, since the shell is still steel and aluminum.
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Build the drive unit
An electric motor and its gearing are packed into a compact housing that drives the wheels directly. There is no clutch and no multi-speed gearbox to fit.
Goes in -
Bolt the battery under the floor
A finished battery pack, made of thousands of cells in cooled and sealed housings, is lifted into the floor and secured. This is the heaviest single part of the car.
Goes in -
Wire the power electronics
Thick orange cables link battery to drive unit, while smaller wires and control units manage charging, heating and the dashboard.
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Fit glass, seats and wheels
The interior goes in on the same sort of line as any car, followed by windows and tires.
Goes in -
Charge and test drive
Each car is plugged in, its software is loaded, and it is run on rollers and a test track. Its battery and charging system are checked before it ships.
Worth repeating
- Electric car sales reached 21 million in 2025.
- China had 44 million electric cars on its roads in 2025, more than half of the world's fleet.
- Cars have grown heavier partly because of batteries, safety cages and airbags, and typically weigh between 1 and 3 tonnes.
Back to the ground
Follow every input upstream and electric car starts as these 34 raw sources.
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Sources
Cite this page: "How electric cars are made." Assembly Line, 2026-11-03. https://assemblyline.org/make/electric-car