Volkswagen accelerates EVs

Volkswagen now plans to produce 22 million electric vehicles with 10 years – seven million more than the initial 15 million estimated earlier.

It will step up the number of new electric models from 50 to 70.

Expanding e-mobility is an important building block on the road to a carbon dioxide neutral balance, the company says.

Volkswagen has signed off a comprehensive decarbonisation project aimed at achieving a fully CO2-neutral balance in all areas from fleet to production to administration by 2050.

“Volkswagen is taking on responsibility with regard to the key trends of the future – particularly in connection with climate protection,” Volkswagen AG chief executive officer Dr Herbert Diess says.

“In order to shoulder the investments needed for the electric offensive we must make further improvements in efficiency and performance in all areas.”

The 2025 target is to reduce the CO2 footprint of the vehicle fleet by 30% across the lifecycle compared to 2015.

Volkswagen is therefore electrifying the vehicle portfolio, with investment in this area alone amounting to more than 30 billion euros by 2023, it says.

The first of the new-generation VW EVs go into production this year.

The Audi e-tron will be followed by the Porsche Taycan, with reservations for each of these models already at 20,000 units.

EVs will be brought into the mainstream with the ramp up of the Volkswagen ID. Other models in this first wave will be the ID. Crozz, the SEAT el-born,, the Skoda Vision E, the ID. Buzz, and the ID. Vizzion.

LG Chem, SKI, CATL and Samsung were selected as strategic battery cell suppliers, while Volkswagen is also considering possible participation in battery cell manufacturing facilities in Europe.