Volkswagen bets big on EV(Electric Vehicle)

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Looks like Electric vehicles are here to stay, not a fad as some think it is.

VW was considering an $11 billion plan to build a massive battery-manufacturing facility in Germany. If they invest this much they are committed to EV for a foreseeable future.


Quote:
The beleaguered VW brand is gearing up to change the subject from its diesel scandal with 5 new all-electric models. It will show a prototype of the first one next month. Here's what we know.

Volkswagen is planning five new battery-electric models for its VW brand, all of which will have a range of at least 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) -- and we might see the first of them as soon as next month.

In a new interview with German business magazine Wirtschaftswoche, VW brand chief Herbert Diess confirmed plans to bring five new electric VWs to market. All will be based on the Volkswagen Group's new modular electric-vehicle architecture -- and they'll be sold in the U.S., Europe, and China.


Quote:
VW will show a concept car at next month's Paris Auto Show that will be a "foretaste" of the first model in the series. Diess said the new electric VW is slightly smaller than the compact Golf hatchback on the outside, but its interior room is comparable to that of the midsize Passat. It will be all-electric, battery-powered, with a range of "400 to 600 kilometers," Diess said. (But note that Europe's electric-car testing protocol generally yields longer ranges than U.S. testing methods. The range cited by Diess might translate to something more like 200 to 350 300 miles under U.S. standards. That's still impressive for mass-market electric vehicles, but not radical.)

Diess expects the new electric VWs to sell at prices comparable to those of similarly sized diesel-powered models in VW's current lineup. But the first one won't go into production until late in 2018, he said. VW has a lot of work to do first.


Quote:
The VW Group includes a slew of automotive brands, most notably Audi and Porsche, in addition to the namesake VW brand. Both Audi and Porsche have shown concept versions of upcoming battery-electric models.

VW's goal is to be selling a million battery-electric vehicles a year by 2025. Getting to that number will require several mass-market models in addition to the luxury entries, and that's where Diess' VW brand comes in.

It will also require major changes to VW's production facilities and a new global supply chain. Diess said that several VW factories will be set up to build electric cars, possibly including one in North America. The supply chain is probably a bigger challenge: Where will VW get all of the batteries it needs to power all of those vehicles?


Quote:
For now, the easy answer is Asia: Several Chinese and Korean companies are aggressively expanding their lithium-ion battery-cell production capabilities. But Diess doesn't want to be entirely dependent on Asian suppliers, and he hinted that VW may seek to build its own battery-production facilities in Europe.

German business newspaper Handelsblatt reported in June that VW was considering an $11 billion plan to build a massive battery-manufacturing facility at a site near an existing VW engine factory in Germany.The size of the investment suggests a factory that could rival, or even exceed, the planned output of the $5 billion Tesla Gigafactory currently under construction in Nevada. Diess hinted that the company may be seeking partners for such an effort.


http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/08/16/volkswagen-will-follow-tesla-motors-lead-with-5-ne.aspx
 
If they can get the cobalt encapsulated L/ion battery into production, that will double the power density of car batteries. It would give the Tesla S a 400 mile range and similar for a VW offering. I think they can sense that the batteries will break through to the next level soon. If they do, the range anxiety will be gone and there is no reason to not go electric for most folks
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Looks like Electric vehicles are here to stay, not a fad as some think it is.

VW was considering an $11 billion plan to build a massive battery-manufacturing facility in Germany. If they invest this much they are committed to EV for a foreseeable future.


We don't think EVs are a fad, just Tesla.
 
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VW makes this and its gonna be Toyota,Tesla, and VW. GM Volt will be gone again if not already. Only thing they will have is another bailout debt being funded from American/Canadian tax payers.
 
Originally Posted By: Marco620
VW makes this and its gonna be Toyota,Tesla, and VW. GM Volt will be gone again if not already. Only thing they will have is another bailout debt being funded from American/Canadian tax payers.


The Volt is the only one you listed that makes sense. I can run it on pure electric or drive it cross country. Try that in any other electric without having to plot your route around charging stations and stopping every hour and waiting hours for a charge.
 
If the report is correct and VW will have 300 miles EV in 3-4 years then it can be used for long distance travel provided there are adequate fast DC charging stations on major highways.

If is okay to take a rest stop every 200-250 miles for charging and rest or have some snacks for 30-45 minutes.
 
Where is all the electricity going to come from? California has brownouts when there is a hot spell. A half million EV will suck the grid dry.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Where is all the electricity going to come from? California has brownouts when there is a hot spell. A half million EV will suck the grid dry.

If you are cool enough to have an EV you probably own a home and solar panels too. At the least you have ambitions to get solar power going someday.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Where is all the electricity going to come from? California has brownouts when there is a hot spell. A half million EV will suck the grid dry.

Most EV's are charging at home at night with lower rate than during the day. Black out happened only on hot afternoon, not at night after 10-11PM.

A million EV's plugin overnight may use 20-30 KWH each for a total of 20-30 GWH. California can easily handle an extra 30 GWH a night.

For workplace charging drivers may be asked not to use chargers on hot days.
 
If the range can be 300 miles and filling up so to speak takes 15
Minutes they will sell. And cost same as gasoline engines too.

Otherwise a novelty with paltry sales numbers out there.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8
Where is all the electricity going to come from? California has brownouts when there is a hot spell. A half million EV will suck the grid dry.


Here in Iowa we produce more electricity than we can use from wind power, and are working on exporting it. But we're not sending it to California, rather we're sending it east.
 
Sure they are, the whole ordeal with their diesel emissions was all set up to force VW onto the EV bandwagon. You cannot have the "emission free" utopia with one of the biggest car manufacturers speaking out against electric cars, which is exactly what VW was doing.
Now they are a good boy again.
 
Volkswagen doesn't have a strong history with electrical things. Just ask the owners about switches and motors on their regular gasoline/diesel powered vehicles.

Do we really believe that their quality will be any better on the powertrain?
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
Volkswagen doesn't have a strong history with electrical things. Just ask the owners about switches and motors on their regular gasoline/diesel powered vehicles.

Do we really believe that their quality will be any better on the powertrain?


Heh, that was my first thought too.

TBH my Jetta didn't have many electrical problems, but the mechanic I use swears that VW has lots of electrical problems.
 
Originally Posted By: FowVay
Volkswagen doesn't have a strong history with electrical things. Just ask the owners about switches and motors on their regular gasoline/diesel powered vehicles.

Do we really believe that their quality will be any better on the powertrain?


FWIW, my dad's hybrid Jetta has not had an issue related to the hybrid powertrain.
 
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: FowVay
Volkswagen doesn't have a strong history with electrical things. Just ask the owners about switches and motors on their regular gasoline/diesel powered vehicles.

Do we really believe that their quality will be any better on the powertrain?

Heh, that was my first thought too.

TBH my Jetta didn't have many electrical problems, but the mechanic I use swears that VW has lots of electrical problems.

Volkswagen has E-Golf with 80 miles range on sale for more than a year. So far there isn't any report about widespread electrical problems.
 
Originally Posted By: madRiver
If the range can be 300 miles and filling up so to speak takes 15
Minutes they will sell. And cost same as gasoline engines too.

Otherwise a novelty with paltry sales numbers out there.

Range of 300 miles or longer is possible.

Fully charge from almost empty for a 300 miles battery at 15 minutes needs a 1000KWH DC charger at 800-1000 volts. There isn't any such charging station available. The equipment to handle this power level are very expensive when it is available.

Same cost as gasoline vehicle isn't possible as of now, because battery pack is too expensive at around $300-400 per KWH. LI-on cell is fairly reasonable priced but assemble it into pack costs a lot of money.
 
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
Originally Posted By: supton
Originally Posted By: FowVay
Volkswagen doesn't have a strong history with electrical things. Just ask the owners about switches and motors on their regular gasoline/diesel powered vehicles.

Do we really believe that their quality will be any better on the powertrain?

Heh, that was my first thought too.

TBH my Jetta didn't have many electrical problems, but the mechanic I use swears that VW has lots of electrical problems.

Volkswagen has E-Golf with 80 miles range on sale for more than a year. So far there isn't any report about widespread electrical problems.


Some issues take more than a year to show up. Usually VW has minor gremlins, that was my recollection. Certain bulbs blowing twice as often on one side. Ground under the battery going bad. Random CEL's.
 
Quote:
A top Volkswagen exec touted a new electric vehicle (EV) planned for the 2018-2019 model year with a 300-mile range. Now the CEO of VW Group says plans include a 15-minute charge time and a price lower than gas models, according to Engadget.


Quote:
Following the initial announcement, Matthias Müller, CEO of the full Volkswagen Group, confirmed the relative size and range to Autocar. Müller also spoke about charging time and pricing but did not confirm the launch year, sticking to an earlier mention of 2025 as a target date.

Müller characterized the plans for “the Volkswagen for the digital age” as a challenge to the group’s top engineers. Their goal: “to create an electric car that can be as iconic as the Golf and offer a 500km (310-mile) range while having a charge time of 15 minutes and costing less than a conventionally engined car.”


https://www.yahoo.com/news/vw-says-300-mile-range-164846231.html

Two VW executives agreed on range and price but disagreed on available date.
 
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