VW Group To Electrify Every Model By 2030

Khodrocar - Yet another major automaker is announcing plans to electrify its entire lineup. "Launching the most comprehensive electrification initiative in the global automotive industry,” the Roadmap E, Volkswagen Group aims to electrify its entire model portfolio by 2030.

That’s not pretty impressive given Volvo’s intentions to do the same in about two years and Smart’s decision to go entirely electric by the end of the decade, but the German auto giant wants to have "at least one” electric, hybrid, or PHEV version of each of the 300 or so group models across all brands and markets.

Simply said, the Volkswagen brand is not the only one from the group going electric - all of them, including Audi, Skoda, SEAT, will use electric support for its conventional models. The manufacturer estimates that "around one in four new Group vehicles – up to three million units a year depending on how the market develops – could already be purely battery-powered in 2025.”

The Frankfurt Motor Show, where the announcement was made during the Volkswagen Group’s media night, marks the first step from the manufacturer’s ambitious plan. At the 2017 IAA, the group announced its brands "will bring a total of over 80 new electrified models to customers by 2025, including some 50 purely battery-powered vehicles and 30 plug-in hybrids.”

To achieve that, VW will invest almost $24 billion in developing two new platforms for electrified vehicles and in upgrading plants, in training the workforce, in improving the charging infrastructure, and in battery technology and production.

"We have got the message and we will deliver,” commented Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen. "This is not some vague declaration of intent. It is a strong self-commitment which, from today, becomes the yardstick by which we measure our performance."

Meanwhile, Volkswagen promises its internal combustion engines will "deliver above-average performance in the new WLTP cycle under real-world conditions” as a logical bridge to the electric era. To ensure all its ICEs meet the emissions standards, the company will start using SCR catalytic converters as a standard feature on every new diesel, while a particulate filter will be used across the full range of gas motors.