AUTONEWS

VW Group has reduced production of electric vehicles and the new engine of the ID.7 model has a problem

According to the German press, the climate of instability that plagues the Volkswagen Group brands is worsening due to problems related to electric vehicles. The last of these concerns the APP550 engine, debuted in the Volkswagen ID.7, but destined to integrate the rest of the ID range, as well as the remaining battery-powered models from the German consortium that use the MEB platform. The powertrain in question, more powerful and allegedly more efficient, that is, favorable to lower consumption, was designed to replace the 150 kW PSM engine that until now has been mounted on the rear axle of several models from the German group. It turns out that the Volkswagen components factory in Kassel, Germany, where the APP550 will be manufactured, is experiencing a problem in the stator production system. And without a stator, there is simply no electric motor.

A crucial element of an electric motor, the stator is crucial for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, which allows a vehicle to move. Its composition contains a set of coils that, when receiving electrical current, generate a magnetic field that, in turn, interacts with the magnetic field of the rotor, causing it to rotate. If this is the theory, in practice there is currently a task force of 50 members at Volkswagen trying to understand what went wrong in the start-up of the Kassel production line and which is affecting the production of electric motors, far below what technically it would be possible in terms of installed capacity.

Sources familiar with the situation revealed to Handelsblatt that there were errors in the start of production and admit that if the problems in stator production for the APP550 are not quickly resolved, there is no way to avoid a drop in the number of the group's electric vehicles leaving the lines assembly. Potentially, the setback will not only affect Volkswagen, as Cupra, Audi and Skoda will also exchange the old 150 kW and 310 Nm of torque engine for the new APP550, which offers 210 kW of power and 550 Nm of maximum torque. In fact, a spokesperson for the Czech Volkswagen Group brand confirmed to the aforementioned German publication that the shortage of electric motors is already limiting the production of the Skoda Enyaq in Mlada Boleslav, with the manufacturing unit expected to continue to be impacted by this conditioning until the end of the year. It should be noted that, at the moment, the Kassel factory can only guarantee around 30% of the total volume originally planned.

The good news, at least for now, is that this “headache” is essentially concentrated in the European market and affects the most recent models from the German group. According to Handelsblatt, ID production in China has not yet fallen victim to production bottlenecks, the same happening with the North American factory in Chattanooga, where the ID.4 comes from. However, it is admitted that the production of the Cupra Tavascan in China may have to reduce exports to the Old Continent. It should be noted that, in addition to the ID.7, the new APP550 electric engine is planned for a series of models including the ID.4 and 5, the Audi Q4 e-tron and the aforementioned Skoda Enyaq and Cupra Tavascan.

The problem with stator production adds to a series of concerns regarding Volkswagen Group electric vehicles. It should be remembered that, on the one hand, sales have been increasing, but due to the emptying of waiting orders, without the number of reservations currently made allowing us to envisage the continued increase in sales. On the other hand, software and digitalization – which were touted as flags of innovation and technological sophistication by the German conglomerate – continue to fall short of their promises. So much so that the electric Audi Q6 e-tron and Porsche Macan, both models based on the new SSP platform, have seen their market introduction postponed.

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