Six advantages of the MEB
Volkswagen has opened its modular electric drive matrix (German abbreviation: “MEB”) to other manufacturers. This makes production cheaper, but also offers further advantages. You will find the six most important ones below:
1. Several brands of Volkswagen Group will use the MEB, resulting in high quantities. This way, the cost-intensive production of e-cars becomes more favourable for all parties involved.
In order to reduce the high costs for the development of electric cars, Volkswagen is now offering its MEB technology platform to other car manufacturers. “The more cars based on the platform, the cheaper they will be,” says Herbert Diess, Chairman of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Group. This is an important prerequisite for making electric mobility achievable for the masses.
2. The MEB contributes to the Paris climate change agreement
In order to meet the requirements of the Paris Climate Agreement, the German transport sector would have to reduce CO2 emissions by 40 to 42 percent by 2030. This is how the “The Future of Mobility Platform” set up by the German Federal Ministry of Transport calculated it. This is only possible if between seven to ten million cars are emission-free by then. The number of new registrations of electric cars would have to increase – dramatically. The modular electric drive matrix could be a decisive factor in moving closer to this goal and thus to Volkswagen’s vision of a mass-produced electric car.
With the MEB, everything is optimally matched to the requirements of electromobility. The axles are offset far apart, ensuring short overhangs. There is no combustion engine that takes up space. A cardan tunnel: unnecessary. The drive consists of an electric motor integrated in the rear axle, including power electronics and transmission, and the auxiliary units are located in the front part of the vehicle. The architecture is aligned with the high-voltage traction battery in the car floor and provides plenty of space in the interior of the ID. – similar to the Passat – while the exterior length is more like that of the Golf.
From electric drive to digitalization and autonomous driving: The development of the modular electric drive system (MEB) is an investment in the future of mobility. By 2028, Volkswagen intends to use the platform for around 22 million vehicles across the Group.
The company is investing more than 30 billion euros in its electric offensive by 2023 alone and is electrifying its portfolio in all segments. Production of the compact ID., which costs just as much as a comparable Golf diesel, will start at the end of the year. By 2028, almost 70 new e-models are to be launched on the market.
4. The MEB enables a large model variety and at the same time maintains the unique selling point of each brand
Whether Audi, SEAT or ŠKODA – MEB is suitable for different models without changing the unique identity of a brand. Body and chassis are separated from each other. Anyone can place their own models on the MEB. With the first member of the Volkswagen ID. Family, the first MEB-based electric car will be launched on the market from 2020 at the price of a comparable Golf Diesel. The range is up to 550 kilometres (WLTP). The electric motor develops an output of 125 kW / 170 PS. Production of the compact ID. begins in Zwickau at the end of 2019.
5. The MEB will enable competitive vehicles to be placed on the market in spite of small quantities
The Group announced its first partnership in Geneva at the beginning of March. The Aachen-based electric car manufacturer e.GO Mobile AG, which has developed the small car e.GO Life, will be the first external partner to use the MEB to launch supplementary electric cars, outside of the Volkswagen model range. A concrete vehicle project is currently being planned. The CEO of e.Go, and co-founder of StreetScooter, Günther Schuh, helped bring the world’s first electric light-transporter onto the road against great resistance. With e.Go, founded in 2015, Schuh now focuses on electric vehicles, primarily designed for urban traffic environments.
With its scalable battery system, the MEB can be tailored to the individual use of the car. For vehicles designed for short distances in the city, a lower capacity battery is sufficient. This saves costs. A larger battery for larger vehicles provides more freedom. The battery has a charging capacity of up to 125 kW. The position of the battery in the center of the vehicle results in a low center of gravity and a balanced weight distribution, resulting in dynamic and balanced driving behavior.
Information has come directly from Volkswagen and is available at https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/stories/six-advantages-of-the-meb-4979