Volkswagen's electric offensive picks up speed

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Volkswagen’s electric offensive picks up speed

With the world premiere of the new all-electric ID.3 in September and the start of production at the Zwickau electric vehicle plant in November, Volkswagen is well on course to reach its strategic target of one million electric cars by the end of 2023 (two years earlier than previously predicted). The brand now expects 1.5 million electric cars to be produced in 2025.

“2020 will be a key year for the transformation of Volkswagen. With the market launch of the ID.3 and other models in the ID. family, our electric offensive will also become visible on the roads”, says Thomas Ulbrich, member of the Volkswagen brand Board of Management responsible for e-mobility. “Our new overall plan for 1.5 electric cars in 2025 shows that people want climate-friendly individual mobility – and we are making it affordable for millions of people.”

In connection with its electric offensive, Volkswagen has also moved into a number of strategic business areas. With its newly established subsidiary Elli, Volkswagen is forging ahead with the development of charging infrastructure. Elli already has more than 10,000 power customers. Together with its dealers, Volkswagen is also installing its own charging stations. By 2025, a total of 36,000 charging stations are to be developed throughout Europe at dealerships and plants.

The opening up of the Modular Electric Drive Toolkit (MEB) to other manufacturers is also a trailblazing approach. Ford will be one of the first automakers to use the MEB. From 2023, the company is to offer an MEB vehicle in Europe and expects to sell more than 600,000 cars within six years.

Volkswagen has also laid foundations for the development, testing and production of battery cells. A battery cell factory with a capacity of 16 gigawatt-hours is to be developed in Salzgitter from 2020. The start of production is planned for the end of 2023/beginning of 2024. For this purpose, Volkswagen has entered into a joint venture with the Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt.