Following the recent announcement by VW plants in Zwickau and Emden about scaling back electric car production due to a shortage of motors, it’s now been confirmed that the production of the Skoda Enyaq in Mlada Boleslav will also be impacted in November and December.
A Skoda spokesperson conveyed to German Handelsblatt that the shortage of electric motors is the primary factor affecting production in these months. While the production of VW’s ID. models in China remains unaffected, there are limitations in supplying the Cupra Tavascan, built in China for the European market, with electric motors. Fortunately, the production of the VW ID.4 at the US plant in Chattanooga has not encountered issues from the motor bottleneck.
The source of the problem is traced back to the production of the new APP550 motor at the VW component plant in Kassel, Germany. During the ramp-up of a production line there, errors occurred, leading to a significant reduction in the production capacity of electric motors. The plant is currently operating at only around 30% of its intended capacity due to issues with a system that produces stators for the APP550.
VW’s components division spokesperson confirmed the limitations, stating that electric drive production at the Kassel site is currently only possible to a limited extent. As a result, vehicle plants affected by this bottleneck can anticipate production restrictions in November and December. A task force of over 50 VW employees is actively working to address the problem and improve production capacity.
The bottleneck stems from the transition from the 150 kW PSM, previously used on the rear axle of several Volkswagen Group models, to the new APP550. The APP550 offers increased power at 210 kW and higher torque at 550 Nm, replacing the previous 310 Nm. Despite being more efficient and enhancing range, the production hiccup is causing delays in delivering the new motor to various model series, including the ID.4, ID.5, ID.7, Audi Q4 e-tron, Skoda Enyaq, and Cupra Tavascan.
In an attempt to prioritize the production ramp-up of the new VW ID.7 in Emden, VW is reportedly diverting more of the available APP550s to this location. The efforts to address the motor shortage aim to minimize disruptions and uphold the production schedule, highlighting the challenges faced by automakers in the transition to new and more advanced electric drivetrain technologies.
