On March 15, the online presentation of Power Day Volkswagen, which was held by the head of the company Herbert Diss, and his colleagues, guiding various divisions. Colleague Sergey Bokarev has already partially highlighted how VW will "cancel" the DVS, but I will focus on this presentation a little more.
At the presentation, in addition to the main part of it, which described the company's rechargeable and infrastructure strategy, also introduced a new electric car - a crossover ID.4.
In fact, the topic of this presentation is fundamental, and more important for the development of an electric car industry than just a presentation of a new electric vehicle, or even a whole family. The development and production of batteries, as well as the development of the charging network, is the basis for the development of the electric vehicle industry, and therefore in Volkswagen considered that a separate event is needed to submit its strategy in this direction. Power Day Volkswagen 2021 With all the base, you can call the answer to the presentation of Ilona Mask on Tesla Battery Day 2020.
Power Day Volkswagen 2021
The presentation was opened by the head of Volkswagen Herbert Diss. Introducing the story of the Road Map, he stressed that its implementation will take place in three main locations, where the company will fight for leadership in the electric car market - this is Europe, USA, and China. Diss allocated several important reforms that should make a company one of the leaders of the global electric car industry - the unification of the battery elements, their new chemistry, and new production processes that reduce the cost of batteries, and respectively, the electric vehicles themselves, also closes the battery life cycle circle, that is, The recycling of the batteries is not just innovation, but an integral part of the electric car industry, the process of building its own battery gigafabric is activated, complements the system expansion of partnerships, in order to create networks of charging stations, and the electric vehicle itself becomes part of the energy system.
It is a pity, just technological progress bypassing us by side, though, of course it will come to us, but with a big delay, and it is unlikely that in this case it is Vilkswagen.
The new unified cell will provide huge cost savings starting from 2023
Thomas Shmal, member of the Board of Directors of Volkswagen Group, "We strive to reduce the cost and complexity of the battery and at the same time increase its range and performance. It is important that we use the same cell for 80 percent products. With these 80% we will be able to achieve planned costs. We will scale our economic efficiency for the benefit of our customers when it comes to batteries. On average, we will reduce the cost of battery systems to the level below 100 euros per kilowatt hour. This will finally make electric vehicles available and dominant in the field of drive technology. "
By the end of the decade, all the brands of the Volkswagen group will receive unified rechargeable elements. The level of unification will be 80%. The remaining 20% of the group products will use specially trained batteries, in accordance with the purpose of a product. For example, if it is a sports car or special transport. This process will be launched in 2023, when new VW rechargeable plants will begin in the production process.
On the bulk of its electric vehicles, Volkswagen will use LFP elements (lithium-iron-phosphate batteries). And in the second half of the decade, solid-state batteries will rise to production, which should provide high charge speed - up to 80% in 12 minutes. Again, do not forget that this charging speed at the commercial stations of quick charging. But according to the already existing statistics of the use of electric vehicles, approximately 3/4 of all charging sessions fall on slow charge at night, in personal garages or parking lots.
He says Frank Blom, the head of the Battery Cell Center, "LFP elements is cheap and reliable, they can withstand many charging cycles. As for solid-state batteries, they will need not only to provide a shorter charging time for customers, for example, 450 km from Leipzig to Munich will need only 12 minutes of charging, but due to its simpler design, they should also contribute to cost reduction - and also to Lower weight of vehicles. Almost the cathode in the ID.3 Battery 77 kW * h Weigh about 100 kg. Then we can do without this weight. "
Volkswagen will increase its rechargeable production and their processing
The full and irreversible electrification of the Volkswagen group requires new approaches in the design of the electric vehicles themselves, and increasing the production of battery elements.
Volkswagen significantly increased its electric targets until 2030, and according to the company's plans by the middle of the decade to 70% of all sales should be exclusively electromotive. Therefore, you need more batteries. If earlier it was assumed that by 2030 it will take about 150 GW * h of battery products, then according to new estimates, this indicator was 240 GW * h. To keep this production tempo VW intends only to build 6 rechargeable gigafabric in Europe, each with an annual productivity of 40 GWs * h.
Among these factories will not only have its own production units, but also partner companies, for example, the Swedish company Northvolt. In general, the production of batteries is the cornerstone of the electromotive industry. And it is perfectly understood by European automakers and politicians. Therefore, in the coming years, and we told about it, in Europe will be built, including a new VW plan, approximately 30 rechargeable plants. Also an important topic that follows the previous information is recycling and subsequent processing of batteries. This topic is developing today, and during the decade it will only increase the volume of work in this segment.
"Sequential recycling, starting from a pilot plant, opened in the Salzhythiter in January, should also contribute to saving costs in the long term - 95% of materials can be reused."
Some, unfortunately, naive or attense believe that the most valuable raw materials from which batteries are produced, will eventually be thrown out almost on the side of the roadside, or the lawn under their windows. It's just stupid and naive. Already today in Europe there are several processing batteries of plants, and in the current decade there will be only more. Relying on the experience that Volkswagen and Northvolt applies, the processing shops become an addition to the plants themselves for the production of batteries. This is environmentally friendly, and economically, since optimizes the logistics of the process. It is such optimization, and the reuse of fossil raw materials will promote an even more significant reduction in the price of an electric vehicle, since the share of raw materials per extraction will be removed from the "equation".
The network of charging stations is one and fundamental points in the development of electricity
Volkswagen In all three major locations of its presence on the market (Europe, China, and the USA), it is already working with partners over the growth of the network of charging stations.
In China, this process goes both due to the work of its Chinese division and in collaboration with local partners (FAW, JAC, and Star Charge), for which a joint venture and a separate brand - Cams have been created. As part of this partnership, charger will be standardized, and a single ecosystem of service provision has been created. In China, within the framework of this partnership, it is planned to create a network of 17,000 charging stations by 2025, with a capacity of 120 to 300 kW.
In Europe, the process of increasing the number of charge stations will develop in partnership with Energy companies BP (United Kingdom), Iberdrola (Spain), Enel (Italy) and Ionity network. By 2025, Volkswagen invests about 400 million euros to the European Program as a whole, and further investments will be carried out at the expense of external partners. During this time, 18,000 fast charging points will be additionally open. Each partner companies will have their own "area of responsibility": BP - Germany and the United Kingdom, Iberdrola in Spain, Enel in Italy, of course covering the neighboring countries. Ionity network works throughout Europe.
In the United States, the Volkswagen partner in the development of a network of fast charging stations is the local company Electrify America. Only by the end of this year in the United States, within the framework of this partnership, about 3,500 fast charging ports will be opened.
It should also be noted that during the presentation, the audience periodically could see the smiling "droid", this is certainly not R2-D2, and he looked like two bonded garbage tanks. Yes, here you can laugh ... But in fact, it is also an element of charging infrastructure.
We have already told you several times about it. This is a robotic charging droid, which will work, for starters, on indoor and underground parkings. It is called by the Client by Appendix. Standing on charging from the network, the droid receives an application for charging an electric vehicle standing on his parking, and then he independently finds the desired electric vehicle and charges it from the drive, which is just in the second, docoured to it container. Moreover, it is also very important - the drive consists of removed battery elements removed from the electric vehicle. That is, this is one of the moments of the "second life" of the battery, one of the elements of recycling.
Electric car from Volkswagen becomes part of the power system
Volkswagen creates its electric vehicles so that they can be, as needed, integrated into private, commercial and public power systems. That is, the electric vehicle becomes an emergency drive, and if necessary, it can give energy to the home ownership network, or into a common network, it will also be possible to connect the necessary domestic or special equipment. Models based on the MEB platform will start maintaining this technology from 2022.
Official presentation of the crossover ID.4
The official presentation of the new Volkswagen electric vehicle created on the basis of the MEB platform, Krossover ID.4 took place under the curtain of the "Power Day".
For all the technical characteristics and its own type, this is an excellent electrocamp, which will make a worthy competition of Tesla Model Y and most Chinese electrocars in this segment.
P.S.
The past "Power Day" for Volkswagen became not just a triumph of will, but also an application for leadership in the industry. Now Tesla, we can assume that there is an equivalent competitor. VW has everything for this necessary - will, finance, production resources, smart engineers and designers.
Volkswagen presented a thoughtful yes every little program. It has all the necessary components - new batteries, form factor, chemistry, technology, production, recycling and processing, charging infrastructure, and so on. Clean each step. After the presentation, the exchange quickly responded, and VW shares rose in a peak at once by 30%. For this moment, the VW market capitalization indicator is $ 120.835 billion. And the German automaker began to catch up with Toyota.
By the way, apparently in the same news, the TESLa shares fell on the same 30%. It is clear that the stock exchange is speculation, but a significant part of the traders seems to understand that the situation in the electric vehicle begins to align, and in the coming years, VW will be able to take the leadership location near Tesla.