VW's new RWD electric motor promises efficiency and performance

The Volkswagen Group has developed a new-generation electric motor that promises to bring greater driving range and higher performance outputs.

Codename: APP550

Mission: All MEB EVs from late 2023.

The rear-wheel-drive power unit will be introduced in the fourth quarter of this year, destined for models built on the company's Modular Electric Toolkit (MEB) platform.

It outputs up to 210kW of power and around 550Nm of torque, depending on the electric vehicle’s gear ratio.

For reference, the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 GTX electric SUVs produce up to 220kW and 460Nm, and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds claimed.

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Optimised hardware

More power, greater efficiency.

Volkswagen says the new powertrain achieves higher torque levels due to an “enhanced stator with a higher effective number of windings and a larger wire cross-section”, more powerful permanent magnet rotors that have higher load capacity, and an inverter that’s able to supply high-phase currents needed for greater power and efficiency.

A number of components, including the thermal management system, were also optimised.

An energy-saving cooling system can operate without an oil pump, the unit is able to independently cool itself via the gear wheels of the gearbox, and there’s ‘specially-formed’ components for oil supply and distribution.

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The new system will be produced at its components plant in Kassel, Germany.

“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,” said the Volkswagen Group’s head of electric drive unit technical development, Alexander Krick.

“Drawing on our many years of experience, we optimised the overall system through, among other things, the use of special electrical sheets and customised machining processes, and were thus able to significantly increase efficiency.”

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Which EVs will have the new motor?

The more efficient and powerful APP50 drive unit is expected to debut in the Tesla Model 3-rivalling Volkswagen ID.7 flagship electric sedan – which is promised to deliver around 700 kilometres of driving range.

It’s compatible with MEB-based electric cars only, so there’s potential that it’ll trickle down into models such as the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs, Cupra Born warm hatch and Skoda Enyaq SUV, alongside new forthcoming models including the Cupra Tavascan coupe SUV.

However, the more affordable upcoming Volkswagen ID.2, Cupra and Skoda small EVs are unlikely to adopt it since they use a front-wheel-driven MEB Entry architecture.

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