Volkswagen electric cars will become cheaper thanks to new batteries
VW's most anticipated electric car, the compact ID.2, will be introduced in a production design in 2026. This model will launch a series of major changes for the German brand's battery-electric models that will spread to the rest of Volkswagen's lineup.
Here's What We Know
Autocar reported, citing Volkswagen executives, that the upcoming ID.2 will be the start of moving the brand's entire lineup to the new, cheaper-to-produce MEB Plus platform. This architecture is the next step in the evolution of the existing MEB.
The biggest change in MEB Plus over MEB will be the use of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries. This battery technology is slightly inferior in energy density to the nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cells widely used by Western carmakers today, but is cheaper. This is why LFP batteries are particularly popular in China.
VW also claims that LFP technology will come to the rest of the VW MEB models soon after the ID.2. This means that the ID.3, ID.7 and ID.4 could become significantly cheaper. The switch to LFP will also entail a redesign of the cars. However, technical specifications have not yet been disclosed.
The LFP batteries will come from Volkswagen Group's new battery plant in Salzgitter, Germany. The facility will also produce current-generation NMC batteries on a smaller scale until they are displaced by more advanced storage units.
VW ID. 2all concept. Photo: Volkswagen
Meanwhile, General Motors and LG Energy are promising to make electric cars cheaper with new lithium manganese (LMR) batteries. Production of such cells is scheduled to begin in 2028.
Source: Autocar
