As Volkswagen enters its era of vehicle electrification, the company is preparing for the development of its all-electric ID line-up. With 100 weeks until the company starts production of the first model in the ID family, the company’s management board has agreed on the production milestones with key suppliers at the modular electric drive (MEB) Supplier Summit.
In the space of five years, the VW Group brands plan to launch a total of 32 models based on the new platform. Based on the new MEB kit, the first vehicle – the compact all-electric Volkswagen ID – will roll off the production line at the Zwickau plant in Saxony from the end of 2019. Thanks to a reduction in the complexity of the ID production project and a shortening of the product creation process by 11 months, the brand has promised over 100,000 vehicles will have been built on the platform by 2020.
The electric architecture of the MEB is oriented toward future zero-emission digital mobility and is a completely new development. The toolkit includes electric motors with different power ratings, flat batteries in the floorpan featuring innovative technologies, as well as software features such as smart lighting and head-up displays with augmented reality.
“To date, more than 100 suppliers have already been nominated within the framework of our electric offensive,” Ralf Brandstätter, procurement manager at VW. “What is important is the fact that a new type of cooperation for our partners and Volkswagen begins today –- we are involving top suppliers in development work on the ID project considerably more intensively and at a significantly earlier stage.”
As a start to the company’s electric movement, the Volkswagen ID, ID Buzz and ID Crozz will form the starting formation, which the OEM is introducing at short intervals from 2020 onward.
“We are determined to take the lead,” added Herbert Deiss, CEO at VW. “The Volkswagen brand alone will be offering more than 20 all-electric models by 2022 and will be investing about US$7bn in e-mobility over the next five years.”