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Shell Germany and the Volkswagen Group are jointly driving forward the expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric mobility: On May 4, 2023, the first innovative 150 kW Elli Flexpole charging station was put in operation at a Shell service station in Göttingen. The charging station of the Volkswagen brand Elli has a unique battery storage system that enables connection to a low-voltage grid. Thanks to this new technology, the charging stations can be installed easily and flexibly, and the grid expansion can be accelerated. Following a successful test operation, Shell and Volkswagen also plan to install the Flexpole charging station at other locations in Germany and Europe.

"With VW's Elli Flexpole charging stations, we can make an important contribution to the necessary expansion of the charging infrastructure. And in locations where it would be otherwise difficult for fast charging. Shell is already one of the largest providers of charging infrastructure at home, at work, at on-street lamp posts and at our service stations. We want to do our part to enable customers to switch to an electric vehicles and thus reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector," says Tobias Bahnsen, Head of Shell E-Mobility responsible for Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Simon Löffler, Chief Commercial Officer at Elli, adds: "The rapid expansion of the charging infrastructure is a prerequisite for the success of e-mobility. We contribute to this journey with our innovations such as the Elli Flexpole. It can be set up almost anywhere without major construction work, making it ideal for quickly setting up fast-charging options. We are pleased to have found a strong partner in Shell who, like us, wants to expand the charging network in Germany and across Europe."

Accelerated network expansion thanks to innovative Elli Flexpole technology

The German government has set itself the goal of having at least one million charging points available to drivers of electric cars by 2030. According to the Federal Network Agency, the number of charging points rose significantly last year by around 21,000 to a total of over 80,000. Of these, around 67,000 are standard charging points and around 13,000 are fast charging points. A faster expansion of the charging infrastructure is delayed due the need of a special transformers with currently long delivery times. In addition, around 900 German distribution system operators have different requirements for the transformers.

With the Elli Flexpole solution, one of the biggest hurdles of expansion could be overcome. The Flexpole chargers can be connected directly to the low-voltage grid thanks to the integrated battery system, without the need for a special transformer or costly construction work. As a result, the installation time is significantly reduced. At the same time, Flexpole charging stations enable a charging speed of up to 150 kW. Depending on the vehicle, a range of up to 160 kilometres can be charged within 10 minutes.

Shell expands charging network throughout Germany

Shell aims to become a company with net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050. One important strategy component for achieving this ambition is the development of diverse infrastructure for electric vehicles. Cornerstones have been set already few years ago. In 2017, the company bought NewMotion, then Europe's largest charging provider, which has since been later renamed to Shell Recharge Solutions. In 2019, Shell started building Shell Recharge fast charging stations (HPC) at Shell service stations. In 2021, Shell bought the Berlin-based startup ubitricity, which enables charging at lampposts on the street. Recently, Shell acquired SBRS GmbH, a leading provider of charging infrastructure solutions for commercial electric vehicles. In 2022, Shell opened the first Shell Recharge fast charging stations at the parking lots at REWE and PENNY supermarkets. In addition, Shell has a close cooperation with IONITY, the joint venture of Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, Hyundai, Porsche and Volkswagen, to set up fast-charging stations along motorways in European countries.

Worldwide, Shell aims to install over 500,000 charging points by 2025 and 2,500,000 by 2030.

Group Technology: The Volkswagen Group's technology powerhouse 

Volkswagen Group Technology bundles the Group-wide activities in the areas of battery, charging and e-components and supports the Group brands as an in-house technology supplier along with its subsidiaries PowerCo (battery) and Elli (charging & energy). With the network of the charging and mobility brand Elli, the Group provides access to Europe's largest charging network for electric mobility. At over 500,000 charging points at around 950 providers in 28 countries, customers receive a convenient and cross-border charging experience.

The Volkswagen Group's goal is to become the leading provider of an intelligent charging and energy ecosystem. By 2025, a global network of a total of 45,000 high-power charging points (HPC) with an output of up to 350 kW will be established. By the end of 2022, the Group had already connected a total of around 15,000 fast-charging points to the grid with its subsidiaries IONITY, Ewiva and strategic partners BP and Iberdrola in Europe, Electrify America in the USA and CAMS in China. By the end of 2023, around 10,000 HPC charging points are expected to be available in Europe and up to 25,000 worldwide.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

The Volkswagen Group successfully continued its transition to electric mobility in the first quarter of 2023. By the end of March, deliveries of all-electric vehicles (BEVs) have risen by 42 percent compared to the prior-year period, which was hit harder by supply chain issues. A total of 141,000 BEVs were handed over to customers, up from 99,200 in the first quarter of 2022. BEVs made up 6.9 percent of total deliveries in this period, compared with 5.2 percent in the first three months of the previous year. Europe was the biggest growth driver here with an increase of 68 percent to 98,300 vehicles. The BEV order backlog in Western Europe remains high at over 260,000 vehicles.

Around 70 percent of the Group’s BEV deliveries went to its home region of Europe. China was the Group’s second-largest BEV market with deliveries of 21,500 vehicles (global share: 15 percent). In the United States, 15,700 BEVs were delivered (global share: 11 percent), almost twice as many as in the prior-year period.

By the end of March, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand has delivered 70,000 vehicles, around half of all the Group’s BEVs. This was followed by Audi with 34,600 vehicles (Group share: 25 percent), ŠKODA with 12,400 vehicles (Group share: 9 percent), SEAT/CUPRA with 9,200 vehicles (Group share: 6 percent), Porsche with 9,200 vehicles (Group share: 6 percent) and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles with 5,500 vehicles (Group share: 4 percent).

The most successful BEV models in the first quarter of 2023 were:

• Volkswagen ID.4/ID.5 41,900
• Volkswagen ID.323,600
• Audi Q4e-tron(incl. Sportback) 21,300
• ŠKODA Enyaq iV (incl. Coupé) 12,400
• Audie-tron/Q8e-tron(incl. Sportback) 9,700

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

Volkswagen Group Technology is the central technology supplier for the electric vehicles based of the Volkswagen Group. In the case of the ID.7, Volkswagen's new flagship, the division contributes around 40 percent of the total value added – including a completely new, highly efficient electric drive generation. This was announced today by Thomas Schmall, Member of the Board of Management of Group Technology, at the Vienna Motor Symposium 2023. Since September 2020, Volkswagen Group Technology has already equipped more than 580,000 MEB vehicles of the Group with high-tech components, making it one of the largest suppliers in the world of e-mobility.

Thomas Schmall, Member of the board of management of Volkswagen AGfor Technology: "Our goal is to be the technology leader in e-mobility as well. That is why we focus on scalability, competitive vertical integration and the further expansion of our comprehensive internal competencies.In doing so, we relying on our decades of experience in the development of technologically leading, competitive components for combustion technology and on our strong position in e-mobility, which we have successively established over the past years."

New, highly efficient APP550 electric drive

In the ID.7, the completely new, highly efficient drive generation debuted under the internal designation APP550, which is characterized by higher performance and improved efficiency.

Technically, the unit relies, among other things, on an enhanced stator with a higher effective number of windings and a larger wire cross-section. The rotor as its counterpart is equipped with more powerful and more resilient permanent magnets. The use of special electrical sheets and new machining processes also ensures an optimized overall system with increased efficiency.

The new unit was developed in collaboration with Volkswagen Passenger Cars' Technical Development and will also be used in other MEB models in the future. Production takes place at the Volkswagen Group Technology site in Kassel. Kassel is the Group-wide competence center for the electric drive system and now has around 15 years of experience in the development of electric drives.

In addition to the electric drive, Volkswagen Group Technology develops and produces a whole range of other tech components for the MEB models of the Group brands. The plants in Braunschweig, Kassel, Salzgitter and Hanover supply the battery system, axle systems and chassis.

Outlook: Next-generation complete drive system

Volkswagen Group Technology is currently working with Volkswagen Passenger Cars on the electric drive system of the future. To this end, Volkswagen is taking further components into its own hands and is also developing the pulse inverter and thermal management itself. The first pulse inverter "designed by Volkswagen" is currently being developed for series production and can already be used with the next MEB generation. Thanks to the modular principle, the entire range from entry-level engines to sports cars with 500 kW and more output can be realized in the future. The Volkswagen drive system offers considerable cost and efficiency advantages: up to 20 percent more efficiency is possible through the optimum combination of individual components.

Volkswagen Group Technology bundles the Group-wide activities in the areas of batteries, charging and e-components and supports the brands as a group-wide technology supplier. The subsidiaries PowerCo (battery) and Elli (charging & energy) are also connected here. The high-tech portfolio includes the unified cell, which will be produced by PowerCo from 2025 and will set a new benchmark in battery technology. The division also includes the Platform Business, which includes cooperation with external partners such as Ford and Mahindra.

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com

For the third time in a row, employees will conduct environmental- and climate-protection activities at many Volkswagen Group sites from today to April 22. The campaign “Project1Hour” takes place on the occasion of the international Earth Day. In 2022 it mobilized about 300,000 employees around the world and is considered to be the world’s largest corporate climate workshop. This year’s campaign will be expanded to include a further 500,000 employees at Volkswagen dealerships worldwide, adding to the 675,000 Volkswagen employees who are already part of it.

CEO Oliver Blume said: “ ‘Invest in Our Planet’ is the theme of this year’s Earth Day. At Volkswagen, we are taking this claim literally by investing EUR 52 billion in the future of individual, emission-free mobility – more than any other automobile manufacturer. The share of e-vehicles that the Group is selling has been rising constantly: it totaled nearly 7 percent in 2022. The figure is scheduled to total more than 80 percent worldwide at Porsche by 2030, for instance. It should reach 80 percent for the Volkswagen brand in Europe by the same year. We are also doing our part to expand the charging infrastructure with renewable energy: we are planning to build about 18.000 fast-charging points in Europe and approximately 45,000 around the world by 2025. E-mobility is the best solution for sustainable transportation. This is something we truly believe. We are taking a holistic approach to the issue of sustainability: economically, environmentally and socially. With our “Project1Hour”, we are setting an example on Earth Day and are combining social and corporate goals with an opportunity for every employee. Together, we form a force of 1 million minds for climate protection.”

Chief Human Resources Officer Gunnar Kilian said: “Sustainability and climate protection are not some type of window dressing at Volkswagen. The commitment that our Group’s workforce has made to the “Project1Hour” shows why. In 2022, more than 295,000 colleagues came up with ideas that we can use to reduce our impact on our environment and our climate at work and elsewhere. We are pressing ahead with this commitment in 2023 by further raising our awareness levels and our sensitivity about our planet Earth. This is an important step because we all know that we have just one Earth and that we must handle it with care.”

The Chairwoman of the Group Works Council, Daniela Cavallo, added: “The employee representatives hope that huge numbers of people will join in. One hour of work for a group-wide workforce of 670,000 employees represents a tremendous reservoir of potential. This hour will make a real difference if it produces many creative ideas and initiatives that catch on and resonate with the workforce. For this reason, I hope that as many colleagues as possible will have an opportunity to take part – including the workforce in the assembly units.”

The “Project1Hour” is accompanied by campaigns at various locations: At the main plant in Wolfsburg, Production Director Christian Vollmer invites employees on a bike tour to the plant to make the commute more sustainable. Astrid Fontaine, Member of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, also calls on employees to organize their commute to work in an active/sporty manner and to form carpools. Porsche also finances the use of local public transport for employees for one day.

At Volkswagen Group Technology and many Volkswagen canteens in Germany, there are campaigns all about vegetarian and vegan nutrition. The Bentley canteen in Crewe, England, is also focusing on a plant-based menu for the campaign period, which is flanked by general tips for a healthy and climate-positive lifestyle.

Volkswagen Group of America is organizing a recycling campaign and offers employees and customers the opportunity to hand in laptops, cell phones, batteries and other small electronic devices for recycling. In addition, garbage collection campaigns are taking place at several locations, such as at the Herndon headquarters or in Auburn Hills: employees clean up public parks and facilities.

The software subsidiary CARIAD has set itself the goal of being net CO2-neutral by 2025 and is organizing a Green Tech Week for its employees with information on how software can help to reduce the CO2 footprint. In addition, expert talks, workshops and digital clean-up sessions will take place.

The Volkswagen Group was the first automobile manufacturer to commit to the Paris Climate Agreement back in 2018. Its strategy and corporate targets are aimed at ensuring the entire Group will be net carbon-neutral by no later than 2050. This objective encompasses not only vehicles but also factories and processes. The Sustainability unit is one of ten strategic action areas with which the Volkswagen Group is moving ahead at full steam under the direction of CEO Oliver Blume. The sponsor of the strategic initiative on the Group Board of Management is Manfred Döss, the board member responsible for Integrity and Legal Affairs who will ensure that the measures and target achievement are regularly evaluated.

The Volkswagen Group is linking its “Project1Hour” to global Earth Day on April 22. Earth Day was initiated in the United States in 1970. It is marked every year on April 22. It has evolved into a global grassroots environmental movement since its initiation more than 50 years ago. Around 20 million people took part in the first Earth Day. Today, it is more than 200 million. The global event stands for multifaceted activities that focus on the broad spectrum of environmental and climate protection issues and for a commitment to jointly create promising environmental and climate solutions. The theme of this year’s international Earth Day is “Invest in Our Planet.”

Article source: www.volkswagen-newsroom.com