The evolution of Wolfsburg’s versatile EV platform will continue, with much more range promised.
- VW’s MEB+ platform will offer up to 435 miles of range, while also allowing for charging speeds of 175–200 kW.
- The automaker says that the MEB+ platform will feature a new generation of batteries dubbed unit-cell.
- VW plans to introduce 10 new electric models by 2026, including an inexpensive vehicle previewed by the ID.Life concept.
Volkswagen’s MEB platform that underpins the likes of the ID.4 and the ID.3 hasn’t been around all that long, in terms of automaker product cycles, but Wolfsburg is already planning for what comes next.
Dubbed MEB+, the evolution of the MEB platform will see a new generation of batteries called unit-cell, allowing for ranges of up to 435 miles, while also permitting for charging speeds of 175–200 kW. The automaker also hints that that MEB+ will also open new possibilities for incorporating automated driving, promising “significant leaps” that preview the roll-out of Level 4 autonomous driving tech, while also expanding the platform’s potential.
The planning of the MEB platform itself dates back to the earliest days of Volkswagen’s efforts in the diesel crisis era, when a versatile new platform was quickly needed that could be used by brands such as Audi, Skoda, SEAT, and Volkswagen, with a focus on creating as much space in the platform for the battery itself.
“Here, for the first time, we had the chance to develop the vehicle practically around the battery,” said Frank Blome, who was involved in the development of the MEB platform as head of the Battery Cell Business Unit.
So far VW has produced 670,000 vehicles across several brands on the original MEB platform.
VW
The main goal of the MEB platform was setting up the basis for truly cost-efficient production that could provide the basis for a variety of models at the same physical plants.
At the moment, a dozen VW Group vehicles are underpinned by the MEB platform, with the automaker having delivered over 500,000 vehicles just from the VW brand, and 670,000 with other VW Group brands taken into account.
Granted, for now US buyers have been able to experience and purchase just one MEB-platform model—the ID.4. But that will change in the coming months and years as the ID. Buzz arrives along with other models.
By 2026 VW plans to launch 10 new electric models, with the automaker reconfirming that one of them will be an entry-level model targeting a €25,000 starting price. This is the model that North America could receive is lieu of the ID.3 hatch that has proven to be a solid sales success in Europe, but other models will target different buyer aspirations.
“New cars are also being planned in the performance and premium segments,” VW adds.
At the moment, US EV buyers are perhaps more concerned with a lack of variety at the brand’s US dealerships than with promises of 435-mile ranges with the arrival of MEB+ at a future date.
The MEB+ platform will offer up to 435 miles of range.
VW
Having a single-model EV range is clearly less than ideal at the moment, even if the ID.4 is now produced stateside. But (well-financed) VW enthusiasts will have to wait until 2024 to see the ID. Buzz finally arrive on our shores. Quite a bit of hope now rests on the ID. Aero, which was revealed in China earlier this summer, making it stateside as well, and allowing VW to compete with the Tesla Model 3 directly, before Tesla gobbles up even more market share in that segment.
Volkswagen’s Scout brand—currently looking for a physical home stateside—promises 4×4 fans more options in the second half of the decade, but it’s difficult to obscure the reality that quite a lot could change in the meantime, both with Scout and its competitors.
Fans of VW electric models need to stock up on patience.
Jay Ramey Jay Ramey grew up around very strange European cars, and instead of seeking out something reliable and comfortable for his own personal use he has been drawn to the more adventurous side of the dependability spectrum.
Keyword: Here’s What VW Plans for the MEB+ Platform