The German multinational automobile manufacturer stated its plans for Volkswagen electric cars are greater than previously envisaged. Its ambition within the next 10 years is to sell 22 million Volkswagen electric vehicles (EVs). This figure will not include hybrids but only fully electric vehicles.
The scale of different models to be released has also multiplied. Originally, the Volkswagen EV quantity in the pipeline was listed as 50. This has now risen to 70 different types, according to the manufacturer.
An investment in electric
Volkswagen launched Roadmap E in 2017, an eco-conscious initiative for electrification. It has declared that by 2025, Volkswagen’s combined range of vehicles will have a carbon footprint of 30 per cent lower than in 2015 - and that their investment for electrification will total €30 billion in 2023.
Makes including Bentley, Audi, Bugatti, Seat, Porsche, Skoda and Volkswagen are all part of the VW Group and have electric designs in development or hitting the market soon. The Porsche Taycan and the Audi E-Tron are eagerly anticipated entries, with Volkswagen commenting it has received around 20,000 “expressions of interest” for each of the two electric cars.
The VW Group is putting considerable effort into the electric cars in its range. Along with Ford, BMW, and Daimler, it has formed a consortium called Ionity GmbH and plans to put in place 400 charging stations throughout Europe by 2020. Furthermore, the VW owned brand Porsche is kitting out its dealerships across the US and Europe with charging capabilities in preparation for the electric powered Taycan.
New directions and improvements to efficiency levels
Herbert Diess, chief executive office of the German automobile group, stated that in order to meet the necessary costs of its electric programme, Volkswagen must become far more efficient. However, he went on to add: "VW is changing fundamentally. This supertanker is picking up speed and is becoming faster and more agile. VW is evolving from carmaker to software company."
To support this further expansion, by 2022 the Volkswagen Group will operate four factories in China, one in the United States and a further eight across Europe to produce its electric vehicles. By the close of 2019, the first batch of pure electric Volkswagen IDs will be coming off the production line in the revamped Zwickau plant in Saxony, Germany.
