Volkswagen Plans To Launch Cheap Electric Cars By 2026

Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group. (Doc. Volkswagen)

JAKARTA - Volkswagen plans to be able to deliver affordable electric cars by 2026. VW CEO Oliver Blume directly announced this.

Reporting from the Electrek page, Thursday, November 16, Blume stated that electric cars at a price of around 22,000 US dollars or around Rp. 343 million will become a reality. He explained that the decline in electric vehicle prices would be driven primarily by the reduction in battery costs.

"The main driver for lowering the price of electric cars is reducing battery costs," Blume said during a Sueddeutsche Zeitung Wirtschaftsgipfel conference in Berlin.

Blume also revealed the progress of new battery cells from VW which will reduce battery costs by half. These integrated cells will be produced at the Salzgitter plant starting in 2025. VW plans for the plant to reach its 40 GWh annual capacity, enough to produce 500,000 vehicles annually.

"We have a responsibility to present products that match the market at the right price," added Blume.

Previously, Volkswagen had planned an affordable electric car launch based on the ID 2all concept that would compete with Tesla and BYD. With a range of 450 km, the ID 2all production version is scheduled to be launched in Europe by 2025. Then, this version will be based on the MEB Entry platform, one of the ten new models to be introduced in 2026.

In addition, Volkswagen is working on a cheaper electric car project known as ID 1. This electric car will have a similar size to Polo, a successful and iconic model for VW. The project marks VW's move in presenting more affordable electric options to consumers.