-Group integration into hardware, software, battery, charging, mobility services
Volkswagen Group held an annual media conference online on the 16th in German local time and announced a platform strategy for future response.
Volkswagen Group Chairman Herbert Dis, who attended the conference, said, “Electrification and digitalization are changing cars faster and more radically than ever before.” “We will maximize the potential of partnerships within the group and gather the strengths of each brand to expand future technologies faster.”
The Volkswagen Group is transforming into a company that provides personalized mobility in an era that emphasizes electrification and connectivity. To this end, products and services of all brands under the group will be based on standardized technology in the future. The Volkswagen Group’s platform roadmap operates with four elements: hardware, software, battery and charging, and mobility services. The group plans to use conciseness, economies of scale, and synergy between brands, and accelerate the group’s transformation that has already started. In addition, in order to secure investment in future technologies, it will focus on core businesses and strengthen the financial foundation.
The Volkswagen Group has already secured an electric vehicle platform through the Modular Electric Vehicle Platform (MEB). MEB is expected to be applied to 27 electric vehicles by 2022. In addition, it plans to introduce PPE (Premium Platform Electric) products that emphasize performance and charging speed in next year. After that, by 2025, it plans to develop SSP (Scalable Systems Platform), a next-generation electric vehicle platform that can be placed on products of all brands and segments.
The group aims to create synergies across all its brands over the next few years when it comes to on-board connectivity and software. All related to this is based on the VW.OS operating system supplied by the Car.Software-Org. established in 2020. Version 1.2 will be applied to the entire group sequentially with PPE and version 2.0 with SSP. Once implemented, the rate of in-house automotive software development will increase from the current 10% to 60%. The software organization is also developing a technological foundation for autonomous driving, data-based business models, and new mobility services.
The battery and charging platform strategy is to expand globally by introducing integrated cells from 2023. By 2030, 80% of all brands under the group will be equipped with integrated cells. The Volkswagen Group plans to reduce battery costs by 50% in the entry segment and 30% in the volume segment through this strategy. To meet the demand for battery cells, the group and partners plan to build six giga factories in Europe with a total capacity of 240 GWh by 2030. In Europe, China, and the United States, it is promoting the expansion of public fast charging networks.
Mobility services include the ride-pooling service MOIA, the car-sharing service WeShare, and the subscription service provided by Volkswagen Bank. As the group develops its service program, it develops with partners as needed to secure system expertise.
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“The Volkswagen Group’s roadmap provides a way to achieve its global platform-leading goal,” said Herbert Dis. “We will begin this journey with a newly formed board of directors and a solid financial foundation.”
Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Group aims to become a global leader in the e-mobility market by 2025. To this end, the plan is to invest about 46 billion euros in the e-mobility and hybrid sectors over the next five years.
Reporter Ki-Sung Koo [email protected]
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