Batteries in cars are now responsible for far more than simply storing electrical energy. These days, we talk about “battery systems.” These are components comprising over 2,000 individual parts, like in the e-Golf, for example – including cell modules, controllers, battery control units, and the housing. All weighing barely 350 kilograms. “We have to be able to satisfy the growing demand for our electric cars while also rising to the challenges we face with regard to the battery systems for the I. D. family,” explains Kessels. “We have a clear plan in place for all of this.”
The change is affecting many employees, and is having a particularly far-reaching effect in terms of the technical transition. The Passat GTE and the e-Golf are built on the MQB platform. In two years, however, the new generation of electric cars is set to be built on the MEB, or modular electrification toolkit, and it’s full steam ahead with the preparations. The same also goes for the battery systems. These still have to be fully developed, incorporated into a pre-series phase, and then added to the production line. The pathway to the launch is a steep one, with production set to quintuple before too long.