Individual mobility is on the threshold of a new era: Electric drivetrains and digitalization are set to bring about the most fundamental change the car industry has ever seen. The sales volume of battery electric cars (BEVs) rose by 60 percent in the past year and 2018 could be the first year that newly registered electric cars reach the one-million mark—a target Volkswagen hopes to hit with the global ID. family by 2025.
“As early as 2020 we intend to sell 150,000 e-cars, of which 100,000 will be the ID. and ID. SUV,” says Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management, E-Mobility division. “Speeding up the shift to e-mobility will help us to meet the extremely ambitious CO2 targets that have been set in Europe, China and the USA.”
With the I.D., the I.D. CROZZ, the I.D. BUZZ and the I.D. VIZZION, Volkswagen has already presented four concepts. The development of the vehicle technology is virtually complete, as are the designs of the various models. Contracts with the battery suppliers have been signed. Volkswagen is investing more than one billion euros to prepare its plant in Zwickau for the production of MEB vehicles. The company is also committing itself to developing a comprehensive charging infrastructure. In short: Volkswagen’s e-mobility offensive is taking shape on all fronts.
MEB Architecture
The technological backbone of the ID. family is a newly developed vehicle platform: the modular electric drive matrix or MEB for short. Volkswagen is one of the most successful platform developers in the automotive industry. One example of this is the modular transverse matrix (MQB), probably the most successful vehicle architecture in use at present:
The MEB has two major unique selling propositions. First, it is not a platform for vehicles with combustion engines that has been retroactively modified. Instead it is a modular assembly matrix designed specifically for pure electric cars, which enables Volkswagen to utilize this technology to maximum effect.
The MEB—designed with purely electric drive systems in mind—enables the size of a vehicle’s wheelbase to be increased while reducing the body overhangs, resulting in more dynamic proportions. In addition to allowing the designers to create a standalone design DNA for the new zero-emissions vehicles, the chassis design leads to much larger and more versatile vehicle interiors.
The electric motor of the I.D. concept car showcased at the 2016 Paris Auto Show had a power output of 168 hp. The I.D. prototype can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in less than eight seconds, with a top speed of 99 mph. Electric motors offering either more or less power may be considered for the 2020 series version.
Battery Technology
An EV’s battery system must meet high expectations—and not solely in terms of achieving the best possible range. Drivers also expect that they will operate in all conditions and temperatures, and they want the charging time for the cells to be as short as possible. The batteries in the ID. family will meet all of these expectations.