Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer has confirmed plans to further develop the MEB EV platform with the MEB+, following longstanding rumours of a refresh. The platform refresh will begin with the launch of the new ID.2 supermini next year.
Following the launch of the ID.2, Volkswagen will begin moving all of its electric cars to the MEB+ platform, including the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.7. This will be accompanied by a design refresh of the ID lineup. Confirming the news, Schäfer told Autocar: “The upgrade to MEB Plus comes next year, and we will roll out the cell-to-pack battery systems with LFP. That will be a major step forward in terms of cost for us. It’s very important, and also in performance.”
The MEB+ will therefore act as a stopgap to keep VW’s electric range fresh until the launch of the SSP platform, a delayed multi-billion euro extension of the existing MEB modular system. According to research by Manager Magazin in September 2024, VW was considering cutting its medium-term investments by around €20bn. Furthermore, one of the projects that was apparently being scrutinised as part of the course correction was the refresh of the MEB electric platform. Manager Magazin wrote at the time that VW CFO Arno Arlitz in particular was probably in favour of the first SSP vehicles directly following the MEB vehicles ‘sometime from 2028’.
It’s now unlikely this will happen with the announcement of the MEB+ for 2026 and the use of LFP cells for the MEB+ debut, the ID.2. The move to LFPs away from current-gen NMCs is a significant shift for Volkswagen, and is considered necessary to reduce the costs of entry-level EVs. Schäfer told Autocar: “You can see this move towards LFP across the board, really, except for performance applications on the upper end. In the volume game, LFP is the technology.” In this case, the LFP batteries will be supplied by the Volkswagen Group’s Salzgitter battery factory, which will also produce current-gen NMC batteries on a smaller scale until they are phased out.
LFP batteries are becoming increasingly popular as developments in the technology has led to increased range while preserving their cost advantage. Tesla first introduced the technology in mass production with the Model 3 in China, with other automakers such as Ford – and now VW – following suit.
autocar.co.uk
