For a long time I have been advocating that the transition to the electric car could be more than just the end of an era, that of cars with internal combustion engines, and it will also be an opportunity to recover the connection with vehicles that, in addition to being sustainable, will be more passionate and connect with the most iconic design and visual appeal that necessarily continues to guide many of us in the purchase of a car.
The Volkswagen ID.Buzz became one of the launches of the year, but also a reliable proof of the possibilities of the electric car and, above all, of the intelligence of modular platforms, such as Volkswagen’s MEB modular electric drive platform.
An efficient, intelligent methodology for the development and construction of electric vehicles, which is still going to bring us very pleasant surprises.
The transition to the electric car is not only the end of an era, that of internal combustion, but also an opportunity to recover the connection with the most passionate car
Volkswagen ID.Buzz.Volkswagen’s MEB platform
The launch of the Volkswagen ID.Buzzas a reinterpretation of the legendary Volkswagen T1, it would not have been possible, or would have been very different, without a modular platform like the MEB.
At a time like this, in which Volkswagen has recognized that it is at a key moment only comparable to the “transition from the Beetle to the Golf”, the German brand had the idea of conceiving its electric cars around a common platform that could accommodate an extensive product range. A platform developed from scratch, conceived for more efficient production, to suit the needs of each electric car and maximize space, but also to allow unparalleled versatility and maximum freedom for designers.
In essence, and in a very quick summary, The MEB platform is an architecture for electric cars that is based on the presence of a battery positioned in the center and at the base, at the ends of which the rest of the components are integrated and electric vehicle systems, motors, transformers, and charging systems. By extending, or shrinking, the battery section, a wide range of electric cars can be created, of very different sizes and technical specifications.
But the MEB platform is not only mechanical and electrical systems, but also a complex software architecture that, among other things, has led Volkswagen to make a significant investment in order to carry out another transition, that of becoming a technology company. itself.
Without the MEB platform the Volkswagen ID.Buzz would not have been possible, or it would have been very different
Volkswagen ID.3.The MEB platform is the essence of the Volkswagen ID range
The MEB platform is present in volume products, for all audiencessuch as the brand’s electric benchmark, the Volkswagen ID.3, after which came the Volkswagen ID.4 and the Volkswagen ID.5.
A compact and two crossovers, between 4.26 and 4.6 meters in length. Rear and all-wheel drive configurations, as is the case with the ID.4 GTX and the ID.5 GTX with 220 kW (299 hp) of power. Battery systems and electric motors with autonomies and powers perfectly staggered for the needs of each product and each client. And a suitable base also for a large minivan over 4.7 meters which, like the ID.Buzz, also has a transport version, ID.Buzz Cargo, for professional use free of polluting emissions.
But there is still much more.
The variety of electric vehicles that can be built under the MEB platform is enormous and today we have only seen part of the products that Volkswagen, the Group’s brands, will launch in the coming years
Electric for all audiences, but also luxury electric
Volkswagen’s MEB platform, which has given life to a compact like the ID.3, it will also be the heart of a new luxury electric car, which with around five meters in length and autonomies close to 700 kilometers will put Volkswagen in the fight for high-end electric cars. The new Volkswagen electric, which was already anticipated by the ID.Aero prototype, will begin production in 2023, in Emden, Germany, and will arrive at dealerships once again showing us the possibilities of modular platforms.
The Volkswagen ID.Aero is, once again, a sign that the progress of the electric car, and the modular platforms on which it is based, will allow the creation of passionate cars. That in the era of the crossover and the SUV, there would still be room for a sedan, especially if it is built taking advantage of a whole series of technologies that will be amortized in a wide range of products.
The next Volkswagen ID will arrive in 2023 and will be the most luxurious product in Volkswagen’s electric range
Illustration of the Volkswagen ID.Buggy prototype together with the components that make up the MEB modular platform.Exotic vehicles, which break schemes
To top it off, Volkswagen has also shown us that its modular platform is not only suitable for creating conventional passenger cars, but also for even more exotic vehiclessuch as the ID.Buggy presented in 2019. Despite its status as a prototype, a conceptual vision of a design, the ID.Buggy also showed us that, as long as platforms such as the MEB and all its electrical components are reused, amortized in volume products, the possibility that we will see even more passionate and low-volume products in the dealerships is present.
Each electric car based on the MEB platform that is sold contributes to amortizing the largest investment in Volkswagen’s history, the one made to develop its transition towards the electric car.
Each volume model based on the MEB platform that Volkswagen launches brings us closer to the possibility of more innovative, passionate, or iconic products, such as ID.Buzz or the currently prototype ID.Buggy.
The Volkswagen ID.Buggy prototype showed us that the MEB platform makes it possible to create even more passionate and low-volume vehicles that completely deviate from the more traditional idea of a car.
Illustration of the Volkswagen ID.Buggy and its electrical components.Beyond Volkswagen
Volkswagen has established itself as the person in charge and leader of the MEB platform project which, in any case, is also used by the rest of the Volkswagen Group brands and is already present in the electrical products of Audi, CUPRA and Skoda.
But we should not miss the opportunity to remember another of the opportunities that this platform has provided to Volkswagen, thanks to other brands that will use the technology and the MEB platform in their products. And that brings us back to the previous thought. Each electric car based on the MEB platform that is sold helps amortize the investment and increases the chances that more passionate, iconic and exclusive cars will emerge from it.
So we can be convinced that the future of the platform is at least promising and that after ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5, we will see many passionate proposals like ID.Buzz, or luxurious ones like ID.Aero. And that the idea that even more daring and exotic projects could materialize, such as the ID.Buggy, is far from unreasonable.
