Volkswagen Bets Big On Electric Cars, Plans 30 Models By 2025 (usatoday.com)

An anonymous reader writes: German automaker Volkswagen plans to deliver 30 electric plug-in models by 2025. The new plan comes in the wake of a devastating emissions scandal that cast doubt on the future of its once-beloved diesel cars. It also exposes the immense challenges that the company will face internally. Volkswagen CEO Matthias Mueller suggested that Volkswagen Group, whose brands include Audi and Porsche, will "significantly" reduce the number of models it makes and will slash almost $9 billion in spending annually to bolster the bottom line.

Comments

Saab story

[turkeydance]

before 2025

For those who still want diesel

[Anonymous Coward]

They can buy the optional two cylinder range extender to stink up the air.

Actually that is the proper way to make an electric car until storage tech gets beyond the stone age. It doesn't require anything beyond the existing infrastructure, so it can *just work*

Re:For those who still want diesel

[_xeno_]

That's not the only problem. Not all of us live in houses with garages. I live in an apartment complex with assigned parking. If I were to get an electric vehicle I have no clue how the hell I'd charge it.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I think electric vehicles are the future and I'd love to be able to drive a plug-in hybrid, but at present I have absolutely no way to charge it and that needs to change before electric cars can roll out to the entire population.

Re:For those who still want diesel

[twotacocombo]

That's not the only problem.

Not to mention places like Los Angeles, where our infrastructure is shit, power rates keep climbing, and we have multiple brown/blackouts during the summer months just from A/C usage alone. They're talking up to two weeks of blackouts this summer due to the Aliso Canyon fiasco. Just what we all need, electric cars that we can't charge because the power's out, and can't afford to charge because we've already got second mortgages just to keep the house cool when it's 110 outside. Electric cars are a great idea, but some places just aren't prepared for a massive influx of them.

Re:For those who still want diesel

[Anonymous Coward]

If your electric grid has regular blackouts, electric cars are the least of your problems. Sounds like a third-world problem to me.

Signed,
a Canadian.

Re: For those who still want diesel

[ShanghaiBill]

They'll sneak little tiny diesel generators in all of them that pollute 10 times more than a regular diesel engine.

Diesels used as generators can generate less pollution, because they can run at an optimal constant speed.

Re:For those who still want diesel

[ShanghaiBill]

They're talking up to two weeks of blackouts this summer due to the Aliso Canyon fiasco.

Obvious solution: Charge your car at night, when the ACs are mostly off, and there is plenty of cheap base load power.

I have an electric car, and it is preprogrammed to start charging at 2am.

Re: For those who still want diesel

[tripleevenfall]

You're standing in the way of blind rage, sir.

Well that solves one problem

[mitcheli]

No need to worry about faked emissions results if there are no emissions....

Re:Well that solves one problem

[mspohr]

TFA, as usual, is short on details but this may give a hint:
"The bet on fully electric vehicles will be paired with an investment in battery technology,"
(They have also announced that they are building their own battery "Gigafactory".)
A "fully electric" vehicle has no ICE engine. A hybrid has ICE and electric.
BEV is Battery Electric Vehicle (no ICE).
Plug-in Hybrid is an ICE engine hybrid electric that usually has a small battery which you can plug in to charge.
It will be interesting to see what they come up with. They pretty much single-handedly killed the diesel car and now they are scrambling to put something together so they can regain some green street cred.
I wish them luck.

Re:Well that solves one problem

[mspohr]

Just... wrong.
Even if you get all of your electricity from dirty coal (like Colorado), it is still cleaner to drive an electric vehicle than a 35 mpg gas car because coal fired power plants are much more efficient than gas or diesel car engines and electric cars are much more efficient in using that electricity.
Plus, as we retire dirty coal plants, electric cars get even cleaner.
http://www.ucsusa.org/clean-ve...

Willingly?

[Smidge204]

So is this with or without the looming threat of billions of dollars in fines?

https://news.slashdot.org/stor...

=Smidge=

Re:Check out the eGolf. Then consider.

[Yvan256]

What about the PodRide? It should cost under USD$4K, one seater, 25km/h, 60km electric range and human-powered mode for exercise.

Headline from 2026

[StikyPad]

Volkswagen has admitted cheating on it's emissions tests. When the vehicles are stationary and the steering wheel is not being moved, power from the battery is applied directly to the wheels. In normal driving, however, 80% of the power is diverted to a Power-to-Gas system, which is then dumped directly into the atmosphere for no apparent reason whatsoever.

You can choose where to live

[sjbe]

Not to mention places like Los Angeles, where our infrastructure is shit,

Hey if you choose to live somewhere where the power infrastructure sucks that's on you. LA is a fine place but most of the US doesn't have much difficulty getting power reliably. If it's a big problem for you there are lots of other places in the US where you can live a very happy life.

Just what we all need, electric cars that we can't charge because the power's out, and can't afford to charge because we've already got second mortgages just to keep the house cool when it's 110 outside.

If the power is out charging your car is probably the least of your problems. Get a backup generator and charge your car that way if it's such a concern to you. Works fine and if it's big enough you can power your house at the same time.

Electric cars are a great idea, but some places just aren't prepared for a massive influx of them.

There isn't going to be a massive influx of them. It's going to take many years for them to gain enough market share to really cause heartburn on the grid. Plenty of time to upgrade the grid. Plus you'll see lots of hybrids before you see lots of pure electrics most likely.

Re:You can choose where to live

[twotacocombo]

Hey if you choose to live somewhere where the power infrastructure sucks that's on you. LA is a fine place but most of the US doesn't have much difficulty getting power reliably. If it's a big problem for you there are lots of other places in the US where you can live a very happy life.

If the power is out charging your car is probably the least of your problems. Get a backup generator and charge your car that way if it's such a concern to you. Works fine and if it's big enough you can power your house at the same time.

I didn't choose to live here. I grew up here, family moved down here in '84. It's hard to just pick up and move after 30+ years. Our infrastructure didn't suck back then, but the region has just built and built and built, and I don't recall them ever building a new power station. In fact, they shut down our only nuke plant a couple years ago. They are adding wind/solar, but only out in the deserts. I doubt any of that power makes it past Palmdale or the inland empire. Our problem here is the generally mild 9 months of the year, and some of the most brutally punishing summers outside of Atlanta or Phoenix for the past 5 years. They don't seem to build or plan for the peak season whatsoever. A lot of homes built here in the 60's (which is a huge number of them) were built without central air. Now that the summers are getting hotter, more people are adding A/C. The neighbors on either side of me just installed last year. As more units come online, it taxes the grid even further. They keep raising our rates to 'plan for the future', but the future is here and we still have constant interruptions...

I have a generator, but it's for keeping the freezer running, fish tanks filtering, and not much else. If I wanted a car that required a gas engine to operate.. oh wait.

Little tiny generator

[ka9dgx]

I bet there'll be a little tiny box in each one, (like the one Nikola Tesla built) which generates enormous useful energy, from no apparent source... meanwhile causing untold pollution in nearby parallel universes.

Re:Check out the eGolf. Then consider.

[danbob999]

Tax payers (and even non-payers, for that matters), already pay the pollution cost every time someone drives a petrol car. How is that any better?

Re:Check out the eGolf. Then consider.

[mspohr]

The IMF is a reputable organization.
http://www.imf.org/external/pu...
You, on the other hand, are just some random person on the internet.

innovation

[Iamthecheese]

In absolute terms Volkswagen is outspending everyone else for research and development. And they have been high on the list for decades. I, for one, am hoping all that work finally pays off big.