VW Debuts New Electric Motor, Likely ID.7 Candidate
Volkswagen has introduced their new APP550 drive unit that’s assumed to be powering the ID.7 we reported on earlier in the week. Though the Chinese specs seem a little modest. We're thinking the electric motor will be reserved for higher-trimmed EVs and/or Western markets.
Designed to offer upgraded performance and improved efficiency than what’s currently on the table, the APP550 will be launched in the fourth quarter of 2023. The spec sheet has the unit outputting 282 horsepower (210 kW) and somewhere in the neighborhood of 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque. Gearing will be the determining factor.
Likely to come affixed to the rear axle of the ID.7, the unit will probably appear in a slew of MEB products furnished by Volkswagen Group. We may even see it doubled up for some extra peppy all-wheel drive models. Based on data furnished by the manufacturer, thermal management seemed to be a key focus while developing the unit — serving both performance and longevity.
From VW:
In order to increase the efficiency of the electric drive, Volkswagen optimised a number of components in the powertrain, including the thermal management system. The new drive therefore has an energy-saving cooling system that operates without an electrically driven oil pump. The system is able to independently cool itself via the gear wheels of the gearbox and specially formed components for oil supply and distribution. The heated oil is cooled by the vehicle’s coolant circuit, which keeps the drive at operating temperature. The outside of the stator is equipped with a water heat sink.
The drive system with gearbox, rotor and stator will be produced at the Volkswagen Group Components plant in Kassel.
“We have been developing electric drive motors and their gearboxes for 15 years now, and have also been producing them here at our location for over 10 years," explained Alexander Krick, E-Drive's head of technical development. “Drawing on our many years of experience, we optimised [sic] the overall system through, among other things, the use of special electrical sheets and customised [sic] machining processes, and were thus able to significantly increase efficiency.”
All in all, the unit sounds pretty slick and impressively compact and Volkswagen seems pleased with the results.
“Because the available space has not changed, we were compelled to develop a new drive that achieves significant improvements in performance and efficiency in spite of being subject to the same constraints,” stated Karsten Bennewitz, head of powertrain development. “That was a great challenge for the team of Technical Development and Group Components. The result shows that we were able to reduce the use of raw materials, while at the same time achieving a considerable increase in vehicle efficiency.”
We should know whether or not the APP550 is going into the ID.7 (very likely), as it's slated to debut on April 17th. But we'll have to wait a little longer to see which other models the unit might be dropped into.
[Images: Volkswagen]
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A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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24 hr. 2 comments. People dont care about:
-BEV
-VW
-Non CUV ?
maybe none - maybe all 3.
RE: "customised [sic]"
That's how is is spelled everywhere except the US. It's not an error.