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Volkswagen Budd-e Could Get Production Version in 2020

Volkswagen is considering the possibility of a production version of its Budd-e Concept. If it gets the green light, the car could be launched in 2020.
Volkswagen Budd-e Concept 31 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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Volkswagen's Budd-e concept was an electric vehicle shown at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and the vehicle's production version depends on the development of the company's modular platform for electric cars.

We already know that Volkswagen is working on a flat battery technology for its upcoming electric vehicles, so the mechanical part of the future Budd-e series production vehicle is in its early development stage.

The trick with the flat battery that Volkswagen wants to make is that it would fit under the passenger compartment of a car, just like Tesla uses theirs in the Model S.

The technical solution has the benefit of lowering the weight center of the vehicle without affecting mass distribution on the axles. Furthermore, the solution brings the advantage of clearing the trunk and engine compartment of any batteries, leaving more space for the electric engines. Since electric engines do not take up so much space as internal combustion units, Volkswagen's future electric vehicles could offer generous luggage space.

Volkswagen's idea of using a modular platform for electric vehicles brings the advantage of reducing development and production costs for a broad range of cars. These vehicles could have an electric motor on the front axle and another electrical unit for the rear axle. This solution would bring an adequate power level, a possibility of 50/50 weight distribution for enhanced handling and, as a bonus, all-wheel-drive.

In an interview with Car Magazine, Dr. Volkmar Tanneberger, Volkswagen's head of electronic development, revealed that the Budd-e Concept could be turned into a production model around the year 2020.

While that might seem like a long time from today, the company still has to develop a new generation of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, and the development work for this technology is a lengthy process.

Only when Volkswagen engineers manage to improve and manufacture their electric vehicle modular toolkit will they be able to turn to niche vehicles like the Budd-e. Until then, Volkswagen has to fix all of its Dieselgate-affected TDI engines and launch an improved version of their batteries for EVs, along with their dedicated toolkit.

The upcoming technical platform will be called MEB, and it is set to underpin several models made by the Volkswagen Group.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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