The Volkswagen Group has just presented the starting point on which all electric cars launched after 2026 will be manufactured. Under the name of MEB+ we find the first major evolution of the MEB modular platform, an architecture that has allowed all the brands of the German group to make the greatest leap ever seen in electrification. But now is the time to improve autonomy, efficiency and equipment, discovering an MEB+ platform that promises great and interesting news for the second wave of electric cars that will launch the brands Volkswagen, Audi, Cupra, Skoda and SEAT?.
More autonomy, more charging power and the promise of a truly affordable electric
1) Improvements in software and equipment
Following the idea already seen on the MQB Evo platform, the new MEB+ must be understood as a profound evolution of the MEB architecture which right now gives life to electric cars such as the Volkswagen ID.3, the CUPRA Born, the Skoda Enyaq or the Audi Q4 e-tron. Volkswagen claims that This new revision of its specific platform for electric vehicles will bring with it important improvements in software and equipment, which should translate into a major leap in everything that has to do with infotainment, connectivity and driving assistance. It seems logical to think that Volkswagen has learned from the software problems that have forced it to delay the launch of the SSP platform – which was to be the true replacement of the MEB -, now placing special emphasis on improving its systems and polishing the failures so often criticized in systems such as MIB3.
At the moment, the MEB platform has already enabled 670,000 electric cars to come to life, of which more than 500,000 belong to the ID range. from Volkswagen: ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6 and ID. Buzz.
2) Autonomies of up to 700 km for electric vehicles based on the MEB+
Another of the great innovations that we will see in the MBE+ platform is the arrival of a new battery technology. Without going into details about chemistry or available capacities, Volkswagen assures that the new MEB+ platform will be able to offer autonomy of up to 700 km. Bearing in mind that with capacities of up to 77 kWh, the current MEB platform has not managed to exceed 600 km, we assume that in the new MEB+ architecture we will see not only a greater capacity in terms of batteries, but also a new type of prismatic cells. that allows to offer a higher energy density and better energy management to increase efficiency.
3) Charging powers up to 200 kW
Major improvement in the reloading system. The MEB+ platform will increase fast charging power to 175-200 kW. We are talking about an important improvement and quite demanded by users, since currently the MEB platform has a maximum fast charging power of 135 kW. Although it is true that the fast charging infrastructure in Spain barely has points capable of exceeding 50 kW, thinking about the future in the medium-long term, reaching 200 kW is an important advantage to reduce charging times. We must also bear in mind that brands such as Tesla currently already have models and chargers compatible with 250 kW recharges in direct current.
4) 10 new electric cars by 2026
The official debut of the new MEB+ platform will take place in 2026, confirming the launch of at least 10 new electric cars. Until then, we will see the current MEB platform continue giving life to new products, such as the CUPRA Tavascan. However, thanks to the new MEB+ version, the Volkswagen group wants to significantly increase the number of electric models present in its different brands, so in the coming years we will see important developments in all the manufacturers of the group: Volkswagen, Audi, CUPRA, Skoda and maybe even SEAT.
Along with the new MEB+ we will also see the MEB Entry platform hit the streetsa base that will make it possible to bring to life the smallest and most affordable electric cars in the group, manufacturing at least 3 of them in Spain thanks to the Sagunto gigafactory and the remodeling of the Martorell (SEAT) and Landaben (Volkswagen) plants.
5) The first truly affordable electric
The last big announcement made by Volkswagen in relation to the MEB+ has to do with the price. With the arrival of the MEB+ platform, Volkswagen promises an electric car with a price of around 25,000 euros. We are talking about a very interesting promise taking into account the prices at which electric cars based on the current MEB architecture move, cars that, given the restructuring of the range as a result of the shortage of components and inflation, make it very difficult to see purchase prices for below 35,000-40,000 euros.
