Volkswagen is developing a new complete drive system for EVs that promises efficiency gains and cost benefits.
Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components, said: “Our goal is to achieve technological leadership, also in electric mobility. That’s why here, too, we rely on our internal competencies.”
In addition to batteries and electric motors, Volkswagen is now developing pulse inverters and thermal management systems internally.
The pulse inverter is the brain of the electric drivetrain and is largely responsible for efficiency and performance. This technology can be implemented in everything from entry-level engines to sports cars with an output of over 500 kW and more in future, the company said.
By developing all central components of an EV internally, the German auto giant plans to gain efficiency and cost benefits. The Volkswagen drive system coming from one source offers significant cost advantages, the company said, adding that up to 20% more efficiency is possible through the optimal combination of individual components alone. In addition to efficiency, the main focus of the development of all central electric drive components is scalability – because high economies of scale reduce costs, it said.
The group shared its plans while providing the outlook of upcoming EV innovations in the areas of batteries, charging and electronic components at the Volkswagen Tech Day 2023.
“Thanks to the size and breadth of the Group, as well as our in-house expertise, we can leverage enormous economies of scale. This benefits our customers and makes our vehicles even better,” said Oliver Blume, Chair of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group.
When it comes to thermal management systems, Volkswagen is working on entirely new solutions, the company said. While today a large number of individual modules and long hose connections are used, in future these will be replaced with an extremely compact, integrated thermal module, it said. This will control the entire air conditioning, including for the high-voltage battery, and thus will have a major impact on the vehicle’s range and fast-charging capability, it added. The new all-in-one module is also significantly lighter, more robust and more efficient than current systems.
“In future, this will make the Volkswagen Group one of the only car manufacturers in the world that’s able to offer a holistically optimised complete system,” said Thomas Schmall, the member of the Volkswagen Group Board of Management with responsibility for Technology.