Volkswagen and the Toshiba Corporation have signed a cooperation agreement for the development of electric drive units and accompanying power electronics for Volkswagen’s planned New Small Family.
The two companies are also planning to develop battery systems with high specific energy densities for the next generation of electric vehicles.
The chairman of the board of management at Volkswagen, Professor Martin Winterkorn, said: ‘Volkswagen is forging ahead with the development of future drive technologies in many different areas.
‘In order to strengthen our position further, Volkswagen is investing in the long term and is offering cooperation projects to other companies.
‘One of the important components in this context is the cooperation with Toshiba.
‘I am convinced that this will be a major step forwards towards the development of series production electric vehicles for our customers.’
Volkswagen’s objective, he added, is to be the first manufacturer to provide an emission-free, affordable and safe large-scale production electric vehicle.
‘A considerable amount of research and development work still has to be carried out until we can produce the electric vehicle, in the field of lithium-ion battery technology in particular, and this is an area in which the Volkswagen Group is working with further potential technological partners alongside Toshiba,’ he said.
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