Volkswagen is working on introducing a simpler and more affordable manufacturing solution for its electric cars.
Speaking to Automotive News, Volkswagen’s Heinz-Jakob Neusser says the German automaker is looking into a single-cell lithium ion battery design for every electrified car under the Volkswagen AG umbrella – including Audi’s e-tron vehicles. If Volkswagen goes through with the move, it will likely utilize its battery module assembly plant in Germany to manufacture the new single-cell units.
Neusser says the move is being spearheaded by a Volkswagen initiative to target a 66 per cent cost reduction in the manufacturing process. As a result, electric vehicles will not only be cheaper for VW to build, but those cost savings could also be passed down to the consumer in the form of lower prices.
Currently, Volkswagen utilizes a number of different lithium-ion cells manufactured by Panasonic. These units appear in the e-Golf, the Golf GTE plug-in hybrid and the Audi A3 e-tron, while the upcoming Passat GTE and other electric Audi vehicles will use units manufactured by Samsung.
