[Auto]Volkswagen intensifies its offer of electric vehicles

[SougarLord]

The Group plans an investment of around 33,000 million euros from now until 2024, of which 11,000 million euros were allocated to the Volkswagen Brand, which is forecasting a production of 1.5 million electric units by 2025.

 

"With the ID.4, Volkswagen is adding an all-electric vehicle to its offering in the compact SUV category, the fastest growing segment in the world," said Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of the Volkswagen Brand. “After ID.3, this is the second model to use the Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) platform. In the future, the car will be produced and sold in Europe, China, and later in the United States. This is how we are scaling the MEB platform globally and laying the economic foundations for the success of our ID family. ”

 

Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Electric Mobility Council, said: “We are making progress in the transformation process of the Volkswagen Brand towards electric mobility. ID.3 is now followed by ID.4. Given the major societal challenges that have emerged in recent months, the successful start of series production of the ID.4 is an exceptional achievement, for which I would like to especially thank the Volkswagen team in Saxony, as well as all members of the ID team. The second model in the ID family. it is already entering the assembly line in which the ICEs were recently assembled ”. 

 

                                                      

 

Zwickau plays a key role in the system's transition to electric mobility: for the first time, a large car production plant is fully converting to electric mobility, with investments reaching 1.2 billion euros.

 

According to plans, the conversion work will be completed this year. In 2021, the first full year of production as an EV plant, about 300,000 electric vehicles using the Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) platform will leave the Zwickau plant, which will become the largest and most efficient EV factory in Europe, and will transform Volkswagen's global production network. Preparations are also being made to launch the electric SUV internationally. Pre-production of the ID.4 has already started at the Anting plant in China, while the Chattanooga plant will start production in 2022.

 

The profile of Volkswagen's first fully electric SUV

 

The ID.4 integrates Volkswagen's Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB). This is an all-electric platform that maximizes the opportunities that electric mobility offers. With a low drag coefficient of 0.28 and a scalable battery system, the ID.4 can cover more than 500 kilometers (in WLTP). In addition, the vehicle offers ample interior space, and powerful proportions that give the exterior an ultra-modern appearance.

 

The SUV will initially launch with rear-wheel drive, while an electric four-wheel drive version will be added in the future. The high-voltage battery sits low to create an optimal center of gravity in terms of driving dynamics, along with a fairly well-balanced axle load distribution. Like all models that feature the Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB) platform, the ID.4 will be very spacious thanks to its compact electric drive technology. The zero-emission SUV's cabin has a clear structure and is consistently digitized, while operation is primarily via touch surfaces and intuitive voice control.

 

Carbon-free ID.4 production

 

For Volkswagen, the ID.4 and ID.3 are the result of the Brand's efforts to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 - which is in line with the climate targets of the Paris Agreement. Like the ID.3, its sister electric SUV model ID.4 sets new benchmarks for sustainability: Saxony production is carbon-free and the electric SUV will be delivered to customers with a neutral carbon footprint. Green energy is used exclusively in the production of battery cells for the ID.4.

 

A robust cluster for electric vehicles in German car manufacturing

 

With a steady entry into electric mobility, Volkswagen is making an important contribution to protecting the environment and creating long-term prospects for its 100,000 employees working at the German plants. In addition to producing at the Zwickau factory, the Brunswick, Kassel, Salzgitter and Wolfsburg Component plants are also involved in the production of electric vehicles. They manufacture key components such as electric motors and battery systems. In addition, the ID.3 will be built at the Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden from 2021. The Emden and Hanover car production plants are expected to start producing electric vehicles from 2022.