Featured Volkswagen design boss: 'wrong' not to develop dedicated EVs

He is correct:

1. Drivetrain - ICE vs EV
   1. ICE with transmission weights ~400-600 lbs typically located in front of the firewall inline with the cabin.
   2. EV with transmission weights ~200-300 lbs typically located in rear or front below the line with the cabin.
2. Waste heat/exhaust
   1. ICE requires a substantial amount of airflow to remove the 1/3d waste heat from engine coolant. Furthermore, there is an exhaust pipe system at ~300-400 C that has to reach the end of the car and NOT invade the cabin with potentially toxic exhaust gas.
   2. EV requires a radiator an order of magnitude smaller and not exhaust pipe.
3. Fuel tank/battery
   1. An ICE 4-10 point mount typically located below and behind rear seats weighing ~80-140 lbs when full. It requires significant piping and carbon canister to minimize evaporation pollution.
   2. EV has a rail-to-rail, underbody battery pack located below the cabin. Battery fires do not flow across the pavement and into the watershed. Does not require fume piping and collection.
4. Forward volume
   1. The ICE is a battery ram ready to invade the cabin and crush the occupants.
   2. The EV with rare exception does not require any solid blocks of metal to invade the cabin and crush the occupants.

The number of attachment points and frame strength between an ICE and EV are different. So if one builds a single body and swaps the drivetrains, it becomes doubly heavier and expensive. Designing the body for the specific drivetrain saves weight and improves safety of both vehicles.

Bob Wilson

 

Hyundai made the Ioniq capable of HV, PHEV and BEV...
Also the Honda Clarity holds multiple powertrains...

 

Am I being too cynical and too paranoid in thinking Volkswagen's love affair with EV's is tied to their emission scandals?
I hate to say it, but a pure EV vehicle platform is a Eco Friendly, Eco Cred, platform the Volkswagen can advance without any suspicion of emissions being fraudulent.
They can build them, advertise them, and promote them without directly dredging up memories of their world wide scandal.

It's not like they can come out with another round of Clean Diesels....this time believe us, they're real.

I feel like EV's are a way Volkswagen slips back into the "Green" automobile battlefield, with some legitimacy. Anything Hybrid or Clean Diesel, that would have smoke coming out of a tail pipe, is only going to be questioned and remind people of a scandal VW would rather move on from.

 

Curious how I have no interest in either the Hyundai or Honda.

Bob Wilson

 

Funny, I think of Tesla the same way...

 

Spend your money the way you wish as I do with mine. I prefer engineering but have no problem if others choose a different heuristic with their money.

Bob Wilson

 

Engineering and manufacturing quality both concur to better products.

 

Sandy Munro is doing a series of YouTube videos tearing down a Tesla Model Y. Both of us agree with VW, a dedicated EV design out performs the alternatives.

Bob Wilson

 

and selling the info to china

 

And anyone with the money. Sandy pointed out the Japanese are especially interested in his reports.

Bob Wilson

 

Volkswagen will let other companies use its MEB electric-car platform - Roadshow

Why wouldn't vw say is "wrong" not to develop dedicated platforms? Market their own decisions...

 

Source: Karma Teases 'Everyday BEV' E-Flex Platform

In total Karma developed five demonstration projects/platforms, including signature EREV platform, a BEV van with SAE Level 4 autonomous tech, a high-performance BEV platform and an EREV van platform.​

<MEGA YAWN>

Sandy Munro has often criticized Detroit as a bunch of MBA who want to order everything and slap their badge on the car at the end of the line. IMHO, VW and Karma support that obscene approach. In General Electric before Welch gutted it, we used to ask "What is the value added engineering?" If there is none, don't go after that business. The only surviving GE divisions rejected Welchism.

Bob Wilson

 

Those platforms are still ICE centric, and the allowances that a front engine car needs in a platform impact the BEV design. Hyundai did a much better job of packaging the PHEV battery than Toyota did, but the Ioniq still lost some cargo space. to not lose any more space the BEV had to drop the independent rear suspension. there appears to be space available under the BEV hood, but they choose not to put in a storage bin there.

A BEV platform would have placed the battery better for the car's balance, and better use space could have happened. Some of that had could have been had with modification to the platform they used. Both these options would mean higher R&D costs.

VW actually had an EV program going on while they were cheating. Getting caught just pushed the time frame for it up.

 

Sure, but now it's conveniently also VW's exclusive alternative platform.
My point being, I don't think VW is too anxious or want's to support "multiple platforms" because they got their hand caught in the big ol' fraud cookie jar, with their previous primary "alternative" eco offering.
Pure EV, allows them to move on and obviously, there's no emissions testing to even be tested.

 

It is also because the market is shifting.

China was making noise about going all EV before VW was caught.

Europe has been tracking car carbon emissions for decades. It is part of the reason diesels became popular there. Regulations of other emissions were getting stricter. Then cities started charging fees for ICE cars of any fuel to enter, and are moving to ICE bans.

For North America, VW can use what ICE tech they already have, with PHEVs and BEVs to help with CAFE.

 

We had one or two Audi PHEVs, but I haven't been following VW's future plans concerning them.

Will you be getting any of their mild hybrids? I only see it happening in the US for the CAFE bump, if needed.