Volkswagen of America has announced official fuel economy figures for the 2021 ID.4 electric SUV. The first two variants to be launched—ID.4 1st Edition and ID.4 Pro—each have an EPA-estimated 250 miles of range; estimated fuel economy of 104 MPGe in city driving; 89 MPGe on the highway; and 97 MPGe combined. Both variants feature… Read more »
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Volkswagen ID.4 and Nissan Ariya bring EV drive to compact crossovers…chasing Tesla Model Y
Can new electric entries in a hugely popular segment convince US buyers to buy EVs from Nissan and VW as family vehicles? Two new battery-electric models from major global car brands are about to bring electric cars into a category where they’ve been notably absent: family crossover utility vehicles. The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 and 2022… Read more »
Vitesco to supply drive control units for Volkswagen EVs
Vitesco Technologies, a maker of electric powertrains, will provide drive control units for the Volkswagen ID.3. “This product makes us part of Volkswagen’s electrification ecosystem, which is proof of our strong system and electronics expertise across the entire vehicle propulsion system and beyond,” said Vitesco VP Wolfgang Breuer. Vitesco developed the drive control unit for… Read more »
Volkswagen expands EV engineering facility in Chattanooga
Volkswagen is expanding its Chattanooga factory to build a North American center for EVs—not only for assembly but for engineering the EVs of the future. VW’s Engineering and Planning Center (EPC) will soon feature a high-voltage laboratory designed to develop and test EV cells and battery packs for upcoming models assembled in the US. The… Read more »
Volkswagen tests fast chargers in the scorching desert heat
Volkswagen wanted to determine what could happen when an EV is plugged into a 350 kW DC fast charger on the hottest days, so the company spent the past year building an EV charging test site at its Arizona Proving Grounds. The 50 charging stations, which feature a mix of standards and power levels from… Read more »
Volkswagen increases stake in battery specialist QuantumScape
Volkswagen is increasing its stake in QuantumScape, making an additional investment of up to $200 million in the US battery specialist. “We are making technological progress with our partner QuantumScape. The additional investment will effectively strengthen and accelerate our joint development work,” said VW Chairman Thomas Schmall. Volkswagen and QuantumScape have been collaborating in a… Read more »
Volkswagen begins selling ID. Charger in Europe
Volkswagen has started deliveries of its ID. Charger, a wall-mounted Level 2 home charger, in eight European countries. The ID. Charger can be used to charge any EV with a Type 2 connector. It can be ordered online or from Volkswagen dealers, at an introductory price of €399. VW is teaming up with certified electrical… Read more »
Volkswagen invests €450 million in Northvolt battery operations at Salzgitter
Volkswagen recently announced that it will erect buildings and infrastructure for a new factory in Salzgitter, under its joint venture with Swedish battery producer Northvolt AB. Volkswagen will invest €450 million in the new Northvolt Zwei facility, which will produce lithium-ion battery cells. Construction is scheduled to commence before the end of this year, and… Read more »
Volkswagen Group forms joint venture to build fast charging stations for Chinese market
Volkswagen Group Components and startup Shanghai DU-POWER New Energy have formed a joint venture to produce “flexible quick charging stations” in China. The two companies will each own 50% of the JV, which will be located in the Suzhou Wuzhong Development Zone, near Shanghai. Series production is scheduled to start in the second half of… Read more »
Volkswagen explains why batteries, not fuel cells, are the right choice for passenger cars
The debate over hydrogen fuel cells refuses to go away. The founders of Tesla considered hydrogen and other energy storage media before deciding that batteries were the best choice for electric powertrains, and have explained their reasoning in great detail several times since. Toyota, on the other hand, continues to insist that fuel cell vehicles… Read more »