https://insideevs.com/news/760336/tesla-couple-years-behind-waymo/
Let’s take a moment to forget all about gigacasting, software-defined cars and robotaxi manifestos. Volkswagen thinks that it found the real secret to cheap cars, and it’s something so incredibly mundane (yet obvious) that it could save VW’s electric btt and actually draw in crowds to dealer lots over the coming years.*
Lithium-iron Phosphate (LFP_ batteries aren’t particularly sexy. Sure, they’re heavier and take up more space, but you’re buying into the economical choice here. It’s a Timex, not a Rolex. They also may just be the hero that VW needs to reach cost-parity between gas-powered cars and EVs for the first time ever.
Volkswagen recently pulled back the curtain on the upcoming MEB Plus platform. Brand CEO Thomas Schafer spoke about the platform at the Financial Times Future of the Car Congress in London, where he explained how these batteries will be VW’s saving grace.
Here’s the highlights, courtesy of [Automotive News](VW to widen use of MEB-Plus LFP-based platform after VW ID2 - Automotive News):
The new platform updates the MEB architecture by introducing batteries that use the cheaper lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, as well as using a less complex cell-to-pack battery layout.
[…]
Reducing battery cost is the “next big step” to achieving profit margin parity with combustion-engine cars, Schaefer told the audience at the Financial Times Future of the Car Congress in London on May 13.
Cell-to-pack simplifies the current battery layout in which cells are arranged into modules and then fit into the pack, reducing the wiring needed and increasing pack density.