ENERGY
April - May 2021
of charging infrastructure, a lack of which is still seen as a big barrier to the mass adoption of battery-powered cars. Via existing efforts and partnerships with oil major BP as well as top European utilities Enel and Iberdrola,
Volkswagen aims to operate about 18,000 public fastcharging points in Europe by 2025. In North America, Volkswagen targets 3,500 fast-charging points by the end of 2021. In China, the world’s largest car market,
the group aims for 17,000 by 2025. Volkswagen last year acquired more than a quarter of China based battery maker Guoxuan High-tech Co and has plans to sell more than two million electric vehicles a year by 2030.
Iconic brands which Volkswagen owns
Volkswagen unveiled plans to have a new unified prismatic battery cell from 2023, which will support cost cuts generated by the higher level of in-house cell production and could impact its current suppliers. Electric vehicle makers, including Tesla, are using cylindrical battery cells, which resemble flashlight batteries and are relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture. Prismatic cells, which resemble a thin hardcover book, are housed in a rectangular metal case and are more expensive. Pouch cells, another alternative, are thinner and lighter, and resemble a flexible metal mailing envelope.
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