#Electromobility

The Volkswagen Group has made decisive progress in its four industry-leading technology platforms. It is also tapping into highly attractive additional profit pools as part of its transformation from legacy automaker to integrated mobility provider by further expanding its sustainable mobility business. At the Group's press conference at IAA Mobility in Munich, CEO Oliver Blume said: "We are making good progress. And faster than planned. We have reached numerous milestones, set important strategic directions and achieved joint successes. We are systematically driving forward the transformation along our ten-point plan and consistently developing further attractive profit pools in the area of sustainable mobility."

The Volkswagen Group Media Night took place on September 3 with the motto “Success by Design”. On September 4 the Group was hosting the Volkswagen Group Press Conference “Mobility for Generations” at the IAA Summit.

“Success by Design” was this year’s motto at the Volkswagen Group Media Night. CEO Oliver Blume presented key findings on realignment of Volkswagen Group and set guard rails for future design strategy. Taking a holistic approach, the company increases the importance of design for the business - from the corporate identity to the products and digital offerings. In the future, the design departments will have an even closer connection to their respective brand CEOs.

Volkswagen is opening pre-sales for its ID.7 all-electric saloon: as of today, customers will initially be able to order the model in the Pro specification package with a range of up to 621 kilometres (WLTP) at a price of €56,995. For the market launch, Volkswagen has equipped the ID.7 with particularly convenient and high-quality technologies. Highlights such as the augmented reality head-up display and the “Discover Pro Max” navigation system are included as standard.

The Volkswagen Group is strengthening its position on the Chinese automotive market with cooperations between the VW brand and XPENG and between Audi and SAIC. The Group is thus forging ahead with its local electrification strategy. The aim is to swiftly tap into new customer and market segments, thereby systematically leveraging the potential of China’s dynamically growing e-mobility market.

The Volkswagen Group increased its deliveries of all-electric vehicles (BEVs) by 48 percent year-on-year to 321,600 vehicles in the first half of the year. The BEV share of total deliveries rose to 7.4 percent, up from 5.6 percent in the first six months of the previous year. The Group achieved the highest growth in Europe, where deliveries rose by 68 percent to 217,100 BEVs. Here, the Volkswagen Group is the market leader and gained market share. Significantly more customers of a Group brand took delivery of their all-electric vehicles in the USA, too. The increase here was 76 percent to 29,800 vehicles. In China, deliveries were around two percent below the previous year's level at 62,400 BEVs in a particularly competitive market environment. Recently, however, the trend here has also been positive. Following a lower first quarter, 18 percent more BEVs were handed over to customers in the world's largest automotive market in the second quarter than in the prior-year period. Worldwide, the increase in the second quarter was 53 percent to 180,600 vehicles (118,000), and the BEV share of total deliveries rose to 7.7 percent (6.0) in this period.

The Volkswagen brand aims to make significant gains in South America with a major product offensive. By 2027, the company plans to grow by 40 percent in Brazil, the region’s largest market. For example, 15 new electric and flex-fuel vehicle models are being launched by 2025 alone. Hybrid vehicles will also follow in the medium term. Before the end of 2023, the company is bringing its first fully electric models to Brazil – the Volkswagen ID.4 and the ID. Buzz. In total, the South American automotive market is expected to grow 11 percent a year until 2030 – making it one of the fastest growing markets in the world. The company is thereby systematically implementing its strategy to rapidly expand its business in growth markets and to intensify sustainable mobility. Volkswagen is celebrating its 70th anniversary of foundation in Brazil these days.

PowerCo SE is planning to introduce a completely new manufacturing process in its battery cell production plants in Europe and Northern America. The new technology will significantly boost efficiency and sustainability in volume battery cell production. A subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and based in Salzgitter, Niedersachsen, the battery company aims to industrialize the so-called Dry Coating procedure. The technology allows a decrease in energy consumption of about 30 percent, internal tests have already proven successful. Together with German printing machine specialist Koenig & Bauer AG, PowerCo will further develop and industrialize the Dry Coating procedure.

June 13, 2023 – The island of Astypalea serves as a future laboratory for smart, sustainable mobility. As part of a joint project of the Volkswagen Group and the Hellenic Republic, it is to be gradually converted to e-mobility, digital mobility solutions and green energy. First results are positive: The new, digital mobility solutions are well established, 25 percent of the inhabitants regularly use the ASTYBUS ridesharing service. Over the past twelve months alone it has completed more than 200,000 customer kilometres. Electrification also makes progress: Almost all new cars to be registered on Astypalea are now fully electric.

Shell Germany and the Volkswagen Group are jointly driving forward the expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric mobility: On May 4, 2023, the first innovative 150 kW Elli Flexpole charging station was put in operation at a Shell service station in Göttingen. The charging station of the Volkswagen brand Elli has a unique battery storage system that enables connection to a low-voltage grid. Thanks to this new technology, the charging stations can be installed easily and flexibly, and the grid expansion can be accelerated. Following a successful test operation, Shell and Volkswagen also plan to install the Flexpole charging station at other locations in Germany and Europe.

Volkswagen Group Technology is the central technology supplier for the electric vehicles based of the Volkswagen Group. In the case of the ID.7, Volkswagen's new flagship, the division contributes around 40 percent of the total value added – including a completely new, highly efficient electric drive generation. This was announced today by Thomas Schmall, Member of the Board of Management of Group Technology, at the Vienna Motor Symposium 2023. Since September 2020, Volkswagen Group Technology has already equipped more than 580,000 MEB vehicles of the Group with high-tech components, making it one of the largest suppliers in the world of e-mobility.

Elli, the market leader among Europe’s charging network providers with 500,000 charging stations, has become the first company to achieve an important milestone in accessing the charging infrastructure. In the last four months alone, the Volkswagen Group’s charging and mobility brand has added 100,000 charging points to its network. Elli gives customers a comfortable, cross-border charging experience, providing access to some 950 providers in 28 countries. A close-knit, reliable charging network and easy-to-use charging stations are the key to e-mobility. They allow drivers to use their electric vehicle without range anxiety.

Wolfsburg – Volkswagen now presents the new ID.7, the brand’s first global electric model for the upper mid-size class. The combination of ranges up to 700 kilometres (WLTP)2, superior powertrain, spacious interior and premium technologies makes the ID.7 a comfortable limousine for long distance travel and opens up a new segment for the ID. family. Almost five metres long, the model also has an enhanced customer-focused operating concept and a high-quality appearance. The ID.7 launch is planned for this year in Europe and China, and from 2024 in North America.

At Tech Day 2023, Volkswagen Group Technology provided an outlook of upcoming electric car innovations in the areas of batteries, charging and electronic components. The focus was on the electric drive system of the future. For this purpose, Volkswagen is taking care of all the central components itself and, in addition to batteries and electric motors, is now developing pulse inverters and thermal management systems internally. The Volkswagen drive system coming from one source offers significant efficiency and cost advantages: Up to 20 percent more efficiency is possible through the optimal combination of individual components alone.