Stories Technology
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Volkswagen’s Battery Valley Tech stars in search of the perfect battery
Wolfsburg, Salzgitter and Braunschweig: In the new “Battery Valley”, Volkswagen is accelerating even swifter towards becoming a software-defined, climate-friendly company. Tech stars from all over the world are developing and researching the future of the battery here. What makes this region so special? What is it like to live and work here? We visited two experts, Chang Liu and Sarah Dieck. -
Travel Assist surroundings display with Benny Leuchter
Pro racer Benjamin Leuchter drives a Golf R in everyday life. But it isn’t just the car’s 235 kW (320 PS) that drew him in: Leuchter appreciates the new Golf’s assistance systems. -
“Ranges of over 500 kilometres will soon be a matter of course”
Prof. Maximilian Fichtner is an internationally renowned expert in battery technology. In an interview, he talks about improved battery systems, alternatives to the use of cobalt and the climate advantage of e-cars. -
Hello ID. Light! – How the new ID. models communicate with the vehicle occupants via a light strip
Digital assistants are increasingly taking over our everyday lives. They are the little helpers that play us our favourite songs on demand, tell us the weather or control the heating and lights in our homes. They often show whether they are receiving or communicating directly with us by means of a coloured light ring. This feature has also arrived in the latest generation of electric vehicles, the ID. family, in a very similar form – as ID. Light. This is a narrow light strip under the windscreen designed to intuitively assist the vehicle occupants. The ID. Light uses different light pulses to signal whether the car is ready to drive, which direction – according to the navigation system – it should turn next or whether the battery is currently being charged. -
UBS study: Volkswagen joint world leader for electric cars as early as 2022
Well able to compete with Tesla, and a benchmark for other car manufacturers: that is how Patrick Hummel, Head of European and US Auto & Mobility Research at UBS, assesses the MEB electric platform from Volkswagen. For a study on behalf of UBS, “ID.3 teardown: The biggest EV opportunity – Buy“, published on March 2, specialists broke down the fully electric ID.3 into its individual parts. The result: The ID.3 based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB), is Volkswagen’s entry ticket to the electric age and the most impressive solution available from an established automotive company. -
“The Perfect Combination.”
As project leader on the development of the “We Score” app for the new Golf, Julius Merkel was right in his element: after all, cars and football are his great passions. The 24-year-old also possesses important characteristics, thanks to his hobby, in which he is regularly made the scapegoat. -
"The Automated Driving Platform is a customized tool".
The Car.Software Organization and Microsoft will build the Automated Driving Platform (ADP), a cloud-based platform for the development of automated driving and parking functions. For the Volkswagen Group’s software company, the platform will be an important foundation with regard to the efficient development of customer functions for passenger cars. In an interview, Dirk Hilgenberg, CEO of the Car.Software Organisation, explains why this step is important and what ADP is all about. -
Perfectly equipped for the winter with 4MOTION all-wheel drive
4MOTION all-wheel drive by Volkswagen is a successful piece of technology with many different facets. The current extreme weather conditions present the ideal opportunity to take a more in-depth look at the technology and also take a brief look back. -
A car for all occasions
Plenty of space for family and leisure, compact for city traffic, and comfortable over longer journeys – there’s really nothing the new Volkswagen ID.4 can’t do. -
From old to new – Battery recycling in Salzgitter
Something is happening in Salzgitter that has never been seen before in the Volkswagen Group – the first plant for recycling used electric car batteries is beginning operations. We look back at the development of this innovative and sustainable process. -
“Every battery has to prove its safety in 5,000 tests”
Driving electric means driving safely: Before the battery systems of modern e-cars from Volkswagen hit the road, they have passed a lifetime of comprehensive safety checks. Dr. Michal Bruna is Head of Electronics Development and Testing at the Battery Development Center of Volkswagen Group Components in Brunswick. He explains what release tests the energy storage devices have to undergo. -
CES: From tech gadgets to digital mobility
Since its founding in 1967, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has become the leading trade show for digital mobility. To mark the start of the first purely digital CES: a look back at highlights from the last 53 years. -
“We share a love of cars.”
At Volkswagen, designing a new model always involves a large team. That was no different in the case of the new Golf: designers from a diverse range of disciplines helped to shape the car and contributed to the design of the Golf with their own individual skills, experience and passions. We spent a day with two such designers, discovering what moves them, what inspires them, and what drives them. “People shaping the Golf”, part 3 – Astrid Göring and Tomasz Bachorski on their favourite places in Wolfsburg and Braunschweig. -
Fascination in just three letters
With the Volkswagen Golf GTI, Volkswagen launched a sports car for everyone in 1976, hitting the pulse of the time. We look back and show how the sports car from Wolfsburg has developed from generation to generation. -
“I sometimes think: Wow, we’re designing the future!”
At Volkswagen, designing a new model always involves a large team. That was no different in the case of the new Golf: designers from a diverse range of disciplines helped to shape the car and contributed to the design of the Golf with their own individual skills, experience and passions. We spent a day with two such designers, discovering what moves them, what inspires them, and what drives them. “People shaping the Golf”, part 2 – Koukou Nian and Marco Pavone on the road in Wolfsburg. -
“Design is a team sport”
At Volkswagen, designing a new model always involves a large team. That was no different in the case of the new Golf: designers from a diverse range of disciplines helped to shape the car and contributed to the design of the Golf with their own individual skills, experience and passions. We spent a day with two such designers, discovering what moves them, what inspires them, and what drives them. “People shaping the Golf”, part 1: Volkswagen designers Ingo Brückmann and Mathias Kuhn meet Klaus Zyciora, Head of Volkswagen Group Design, at the Volkswagen Group Future Center in Potsdam, from where they set off on a tour of their home city: Berlin. -
Internal competition: Three designs for the Auto 2050
E-mobility and digitalization are revolutionizing our vehicles. At Volkswagen, the winners of a design competition for the ID.3 of the year 2050 have now been announced. Their designs impress with their high level of aerodynamics, spacious interior and freedom to enjoy. -
"We're looking for the supercell!"
When Tim Dagger decided to study chemistry in 2008, there was initially little indication of a career in the automotive industry. Then electric mobility became increasingly important – and Tim bet on the right horse. “Since 2012 I have been working on lithium-ion technology. It makes me very happy to see how the technology is now helping electric cars penetrate the mass market,” says Tim. -
Volkswagen designers are creating even more digitally
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Volkswagen designers’ have been working even more frequently in the form of virtual reality. Many business trips are no longer necessary. This makes designing new cars not only more digital but also more climate friendly. -
“The design of the ID.4 saves customers hard cash”
With the ID.4, Volkswagen presents the brand’s first fully electric SUV. The car is built and sold in Europe, China and later in the USA. In an interview, Klaus Zyciora, Head of Volkswagen Group Design, explains how to design a vehicle for different markets – and how customers benefit. -
Following three comes four: Series production of the ID.4 begins in Zwickau
The ID. family gets new blood: With the start of series production of the ID.4, Volkswagen’s first fully-electric SUV celebrates its production start at the Zwickau plant, only virtually on the Internet due to Corona, but the guestlist is nevertheless prominent: In addition to brand CEO Ralf Brandstätter and E-Mobility Director Thomas Ulbrich, Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) also congratulated Volkswagen on the second ID. Model “Made in Saxony”. The ID.4 is also a milestone for automobile production: Like its predecessor the ID.3, the e-model will be manufactured and delivered in a CO2-neutral manner. -
Corrosion protection at Volkswagen: Twelve years in “fast forward” mode
Volkswagen engineers simulate the ageing process of a car in just six months to reproduce 12 years of car ownership by a customer. We explain the corrosion protection measures that apply for all Volkswagen models – classic combustion engine models as well as the new electric models from the ID. range. -
The benchmark of its time – for decades
Clear lines, pure design – the new Volkswagen was a revolution in 1974. It was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, who created a genuine icon. Since then, the Golf has inspired time and time again – the latest generation, the eighth, was designed by Volkswagen Group Chief Designer, Klaus Bischoff, and his team. 46 years passed between the first and the latest model. The two designers were faced with very different challenges, and yet one question connects them both: how do you create a design that stands the test of time? -
Car2X in the new Golf: A “technological milestone”
German Automotive Association ADAC tested one of its functionalities, traffic hazard alert, and called it a “technological milestone”. Euro NCAP, as an independent organisation, has particularly honoured it – with the “Advanced Award”, the special award for ground-breaking safety features. -
“The MEB is a decisive plus point”
The battery is considered the heart of modern electric cars. Frank Blome heads the Battery Cell business unit at Volkswagen Group Components. In an interview, he explains how the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) works and what progress can be expected in battery technology. -
The big cost comparison: e-car vs. combustion engine
The ID.3 is intended to make e-mobility affordable and practical for everyone. For customers, its total costs are already on a par with those of comparable combustion engine vehicles – and even lower. -
Battery or fuel cell, that is the question
E-battery or hydrogen – what is the most sustainable mobility strategy? We explain where, according to the current state of play, the decisive advantages of the e-drive system lie in comparison to the fuel cell. And why Volkswagen’s decision to consistently promote e-mobility is the right one. -
Lithium mining: What you should know about the contentious issue
Electric cars are significant contributors to climate protection – but the mining of lithium for the batteries is often criticized. The discussion focuses on the extraction of raw materials in the South American salt deserts. Questions and answers for a more informed debate. -
Fact-finding expedition to the lithium desert of Chile
Does lithium mining harm the inhabitants of the Atacama Desert in Chile? Repeated reports have been published – but for a reliable overall picture the facts are not available. Franziska Killiches, an expert for sustainable raw materials procurement at Volkswagen, therefore set out to investigate the matter herself.
