Volkswagen is preparing to introduce the ID Neo later this year and now we’re learning more about the car’s battery pack.
According to the head of Volkswagen’s Center of Excellence for Battery Cells, the company has designed the battery pack to “last as long as the cars.” Of course, this is relative as battery performance declines with age and repeated charging. Frank Blome acknowledged there are challenges, but said the battery pack will have a minimum capacity of 70 percent for eight years or 99,419 miles (160,000 km).
To maximize the life of the battery pack, Blome suggested drivers should limit their use of rapid chargers and only charge the battery to 80 percent. This wouldn’t be convenient, but Blome contends an 80 percent charge is “more than enough” in most cases as a majority of trips are relatively short and typically involve driving to work or going shopping.
As for range, Blome said the modular battery pack will allow drivers to travel up to 342 miles (550 km) on a single charge. He also said upcoming EVs will be available at “affordable prices.”
Besides talking about current battery technology, Blome gave a few hints about the future. He believes there will be “significant advances” in lithium-ion technology in the coming years, but the next “big leap” in performance will likely come from solid-state batteries.
Volkswagen has been working on solid-state batteries with QuantumScape, but Blome suggested mass production is still several years off. However, they could be ready sometime between 2025 and 2030.
Solid-state batteries are seen as a bit of a holy grail for electric vehicles as they are lighter and have a greater energy density than current lithium-ion batteries. Volkswagen has previously said solid-state batteries could increase the range of the e-Golf from 186 miles (300 km) to approximately 466 miles (750 km).
