Volkswagen Group Technology has given us a sneak peek at its upcoming electric car innovations in the areas of batteries, charging, and electronic components at the Tech Day 2023. The event was focused on the future of electric drive systems, and Volkswagen aims to achieve up to 20% more efficiency by offering a complete drive system from a single source, resulting in significant cost advantages.
The German carmaker is developing central components like batteries, electric motors, pulse inverters, and thermal management systems in-house, with the goal of achieving technological leadership in electric mobility. According to Oliver Blume, Chair of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group, Volkswagen’s size and breadth enable it to leverage enormous economies of scale, benefiting customers and improving the company’s products and technologies.
Volkswagen’s pulse inverters and thermal management systems, which are core components of the electric drive train, are currently being developed in-house, with the modular toolkit principle enabling their implementation in everything from entry-level engines to high-performance sports cars. The company is also developing entirely new solutions for thermal management systems that are more efficient, compact, and integrated.
The company’s focus on scalability in the development of all central electric drive components can reduce costs, as high economies of scale are essential. Volkswagen Group Technology, which bundles the group’s activities in the areas of batteries, charging, and electric components, supports the brands as a group-wide technology supplier, along with its subsidiaries PowerCo (batteries) and Elli (charging and energy).
Volkswagen Group Technology’s high-tech portfolio includes the unified cell, which will be used in all Volkswagen Group vehicles from 2025 and will set a new benchmark in battery technology. The division also includes the Platform Business, which covers cooperation with external partners such as Ford and Mahindra. Volkswagen Group Technology employs approximately 70,000 people worldwide, and its innovative strength is unique worldwide, according to Daniela Cavallo, Chairwoman of the General Works Council of the Volkswagen Group.
