• Volkswagen continues to work on development of a new EV platform, which will cut charging times dramatically.
Last week, during a presentation to its investors. Volkswagen shared an update on its plans for a highly modular platform for electric vehicles. The structure, known as SSP (Scalable Systems Platform), will eventually serve most of the group's electric models.
This platform doesn't come out of nowhere. The company first announced it in 2021, when Volkswagen’s then-CEO Herbert Diess declared that the platform would make its debut in 2026 with a compact EV, codenamed Project Trinity. Current CEO Oliver Blume delayed the introduction of the structure pending a review of all major projects launched after he replaced Diess in 2022.
During the recent presentation to investors, the company confirmed the project to develop the SSP platform is back on track, and still set for 2026. We know it will offer a higher level of performance, but what we still don’t know is which vehicle will be first to use it.
According to the company, the SSP platform will be able to offer power outputs ranging from 160 hp to an astronomical 1,740 hp. It will also offer Level 4 (on the SAE scale) autonomous driving technology, the automaker has confirmed. Level 4 means that a vehicle can drive itself without driver intervention for long periods.
The SSP platform will also use many more standardized parts than the current platforms used by Volkswagen, including the battery, which will have a common cell and be recharged from 10 to 80 percent in just 12 minutes on a DC fast charger. The common cells will be used on around 80 percent of Volkswagen products and will mainly be supplied by the Group's battery company, PowerCo, which was set up in 2022.
Essentially, what this means is that Volkswagen will be able to reduce its EV manufacturing costs (by around 30 percent). This would result in profit margins similar to those currently achieved with gasoline-powered models.
Finally, some of the brands belonging to the Volkswagen Group will be tasked with developing variants of the SSP platform to speed up development. This will be the case with Audi and Porsche, which will be working on a brand-specific approach. There is speculation the three-row SUV Porsche is developing will benefit from the new technology.