Volkswagen has joined a growing list of car makers that are committing to an electrified range by 2030.

VOLKSWAGEN HAS BECOME the latest car maker to commit to electrifying its range by 2030. VW is calling its plan Roadmap E and claims, in typical Volkswagen style, “the most comprehensive electrification initiative in the global automotive industry”.

What Roadmap E means is that by 2030 there will at least one electrified variant of all its 300-odd VW Group models. According to VW, it will need more than 150 gigawatt hours of battery capacity annually by 2025 for its own e-fleet alone. This is equivalent to at least four gigafactories for battery cells. To meet this demand, the Company has put one of the largest procurement volumes in the industry’s history out to tender: over €50 billion.

“We have got the message and we will deliver. This is not some vague declaration of intent. It is a strong self-commitment which, from today, becomes the yardstick by which we measure our performance,” said Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, at the Group Media Night ahead of Frankfurt Motor Show. “The transformation in our industry is unstoppable. And we will lead that transformation,” said Müller.

Part of that transformation, according to VW estimates, will see at least one in four new Group models being battery powered only by 2025. Indeed, the Group brands will bring a total of over 80 new electrified models to customers by 2025, including some 50 purely battery-powered vehicles and 30 plug-in hybrids.

But, VW isn’t throwing out internal combustion engines… it says they will continue to be a bridge to an emission-free future. “For the time being, we will be offering the entire powertrain spectrum – from conventional to fully-electric – to enable sustainable and affordable mass mobility. We are not being arbitrary. We are listening to the voice of reason,” said Müller.