Volkswagen Australia EV roll-out imminent

Volkswagen Group Australia will soon reveal its plans for a new line of all-electric models, which is expected to kick off with the Volkswagen ID small car in 2021.

The vehicles will be based on a new modular MEB EV platform, which will also underpin future electric vehicles from VW cousins Skoda, Audi and Seat.

By 2022, at least 27 new EVs will be launched globally from carmakers under the Volkswagen Group umbrella, spanning 10 million cars “in the first wave alone”.

Volkswagen e-mobility board member Thomas Ulbrich says the company is confident it can get people excited about electric cars.

“The MEB is one of the most important projects in the history of Volkswagen – a technological milestone, similar to the transition from the Beetle to the Golf” he said.

According to Volkswagen Group Australia corporate communications general manager Paul Pottinger, production of the ID small car will begin in 2019, with it to be launched in Europe in 2020. It is expected to hit the Australian market the following year.

“We are planning to reveal more about the ID model roll-out in coming months,” said Mr Pottinger.

From the initial ID, a wide range of electric vehicles will be released, including SUVs, sportscars, luxury sedans and people movers.

Reportedly, the MEB platform will allow a driving range between 330km and 640km, and can be charged to 80 per cent in just 30 minutes.

The platform will also be compatible with an all-wheel drive system, and it will employ new-generation lithium-ion batteries that can be swapped out as they begin to wear.

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