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Volkswagen Group (VW Group) has reached a milestone in producing five million electric drive units worldwide. This collective achievement by the Győr, Kassel, Tianjin and Zuffenhausen plants underscores the performance capabilities of the Group-wide technology and production alliance as well as the systematic scale-up of e-mobility across the different brands and regions. Volkswagen Group Components’ competence network is a key enabler here – the Kassel plant alone increased production of electric drives in 2025 by around 24 percent year-on-year to over 850,000 units.
Thomas Schmall, VW Group Board of Management member for technology, said: “Producing five million electric drives is a milestone that underscores VW’s lead in both the ICE and the BEV segments. Our global development and production network allows us to master all aspects of the electric drivetrain, accelerate innovation and ensure outstanding quality.
“In developing our first pulse inverter in-house, we are building up additional expertise and taking the ‘brain’ that controls the electric drive unit into our own hands. This not only safeguards high performance for our customers but also reinforces the technological sovereignty of the Volkswagen Group.”
The most popular electric drive within the VW Group at present is the APP550, used for example in Volkswagen’s ID. family as well as in the Škoda Enyaq and CUPRA Tavascan. To date, one million APP550 units have been manufactured at the Group Components plant in Kassel. This drive system is raising the bar in the VW Group’s volume segment in terms of efficiency, driving dynamics and acoustics.
Highest standards of qualityDespite having the same dimensions as the predecessor model, it consumes around 20% less energy but increases torque and power by around 75% and 40% respectively – a marked improvement with respect to range, acceleration and noise levels. In series production the APP550 delivers up to 240kW and up to 560Nm. The combined oil and water-cooling system optimises temperature control without requiring an additional pump. The APP550 success story reaffirms that the VW Group worldwide upholds the highest standards of quality in vehicle development and production.
VW Group’s integrated network is responsible for the entire development of the electric drive systems – from engineering and industrialisation to power electronics and all the way up to logistics. Centres of expertise in this network such as the VW Group Components plant in Kassel help to bring key technologies like electric drives and pulse inverters into series production.
Group’s own pulse inverter to be used for electric drives in the Electric Urban Car Family
The pulse inverter that the VW Group is independently launching is a key component of electric drive systems. The inverter developed by VW Group Components will have advantages over externally sourced inverters by allowing for faster product development, cost reductions and more independent production — for future electric drive systems across multiple brands.
What is more, using silicon carbide as a semiconductor material in the new APP290 electric motor will deliver noticeable benefits for the models in the Electric Urban Car Family (including the ID. Polo, Škoda Epiq and CUPRA Raval) by increasing their range and improving performance in everyday driving. Currently, the APP290 electric motor developed and manufactured within the Group is expected to be available for several performance levels ranging from 85kW (116PS) to 166kW (226PS). It uses 400V technology.