In contrast with earlier speculations, Volkswagen CEO Thomas Schäfer has confirmed plans to further develop the MEB platform with the MEB+, following longstanding rumors of a refresh. The platform refresh will begin with the launch of the new ID.2 next year.
Following the launch of the ID.2, Volkswagen will begin moving all of its electric cars to the MEB+ platform, including the ID.3, ID.4, and ID.7. A design refresh of the ID lineup will accompany this.
Confirming the news, Schäfer told the English car magazine Autocar: “The upgrade to MEB Plus comes next year, and we will roll out the cell-to-pack battery systems with LFP. That will be a major step forward in terms of cost for us. It’s vital, also in performance.”
Interim solution
Therefore, the MEB+ will act as a stopgap to keep VW’s electric range fresh until the launch of the new next-generation SSP platform, which has already been delayed several times.
According to research by the German Manager Magazin in September 2024, VW was considering cutting its medium-term investments by around €20 billion. And one of the projects being scrutinized as part of the course correction was the refresh of the MEB electric platform.
Manager Magazin wrote at the time that VW CFO Arno Antlitz, in particular, was in favor of the first SSP vehicles directly following the MEB vehicles ‘sometime from 2028’, without an intermediate step of MEB+.
Move to LFP batteries
It’s now unlikely this will happen with the announcement of the MEB+ for 2026 and the use of LFP cells for the MEB+ debut, the ID.2. The move to LFPs (lithium-iron-phosphate) away from current-gen NMCs (nickel-manganese-cobalt) is a significant shift for Volkswagen and is considered necessary to reduce the costs of entry-level EVs.
Schäfer in Autocar: “You can see this move towards LFP across the board, except for performance applications on the upper end. In the volume game, LFP is the technology.” In this case, the LFP batteries will be supplied by the Volkswagen Group’s Salzgitter battery factory, which will also produce current-gen NMC batteries on a smaller scale until they are phased out.
LFP batteries are becoming increasingly popular as developments in the technology have led to increased range while preserving their cost advantage. Tesla first introduced the technology in mass production with the Model 3 in China, and other automakers, such as Ford (Mustang Mach-E) and now VW, are following suit.
Many Chinese car manufacturers are already using or are planning to use LFP batteries in their latest, more affordable models. For example, Renault is also trying hard to replace the batteries in its currently released EVs with LFP as soon as possible.
