Platform model: the modular electric drive matrix
Platform model: the modular electric drive matrix
The origins of the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) date back to a long time before the market launch, to where it all started in the pre-development phase. In this episode, you will find out why it is the dream of every developer to create a completely new platform.
Paradigm shift, beginning of a new era, reinvention of the brand: the modular electric drive matrix (MEB) stands for all of this. The MEB has its conceptual origins long before the market launch – during pre-development. In this episode, Bernd Dörrige, Head of Pre-Development Platform, explains why it is the dream of every developer to create a completely new platform.
What inspired you the most when developing the ID. family?
Naturally, working on the new ID.3 – the first Volkswagen based on the modular electric drive matrix – was of course truly spectacular for a platform developer like me. Every developer wishes to tackle a task this big during their professional career. Defining a new generation of vehicles for the Volkswagen family with the ID. is a paradigm shift for all of us at Volkswagen – similar to the transition from the Beetle to the Golf.
At what point did you realise that electric mobility is about to make a breakthrough for everyone?
The specified CO2 limits for passenger cars in 2030 require the fastest possible development of extensive electric mobility. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve the climate targets in the EU. The ID.3 – equipped with the latest technologies – is our contribution on the road towards a climate neutral society. The important thing here is that this does not take place at the expense of emotionality and the fun with vehicles. Individual and affordable mobility is and remains the essence of our vehicles – as with ID.3 and its future platform siblings.
With the ID.3, we have proved that the people at Volkswagen can usher in a new era within the shortest space of time.Bernd DörrigeHead of Pre-development Platform
In detail: which technology do you find most fascinating in the new ID.3?
The ID.3 is designed as a pure battery-powered vehicle – in other words: consistently and without a back door for subsequently implementing other drive systems. This enabled the implementation of all of the technical advantages of an electric drive system. This benefits our customers, for example, by providing a significantly larger interior space with a compact exterior length.
What was the biggest challenge you faced over the entire course of the project?
Implementing the idea of a pure platform with battery-powered drive to the finished design was a great challenge. Technical constraints and necessities had to be implemented that had not existed before. For example, the high-voltage battery forms the core of the MEB. This high-voltage battery needed the simplest possible design in order to minimise costs. The more complex the battery architecture, the more expensive the integration. One thing is always true: a blank sheet is the biggest challenge you face at the beginning.
What will you take away from this project personally?
We’ve shown that with a functioning team it is possible to herald in a new era at Volkswagen in the shortest possible time. This has been a fantastic and exciting experience.
What noticeable advantages do the digital simulation solutions provide when developing the platform model?
Only digital simulation solutions enable a qualitative assessment of the design in a relatively short period of time. For ID.3, this was the key tool that enabled us to find the right direction.
