BMW Group, Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create the highest-powered charging network in Europe. The goal is the quick build-up of a sizable number of stations in order to enable long-range travel for battery electric vehicle drivers. This will be an important step towards facilitating mass-market BEV adoption.
The projected ultra-fast high-powered charging network with power levels up to 350 kW will be significantly faster than the most powerful charging system deployed today. The build-up is planned to start in 2017. An initial target of about 400 sites in Europe is planned. By 2020 the customers should have access to thousands of high-powered charging points. The goal is to enable long-distance travel through open-network charging stations along highways and major thoroughfares, which has not been feasible for most BEV drivers to date. The charging experience is expected to evolve to be as convenient as refueling at conventional gas stations.
The network will be based on Combined Charging System (CCS) standard technology. The planned charging infrastructure expands the existing technical standard for AC- and DC charging of electric vehicles to the next level of capacity for DC fast charging with up to 350 kW. BEVs that are engineered to accept this full power of the charge stations can recharge brand-independently in a fraction of the time of today’s BEVs. The network is intended to serve all CCS equipped vehicles to facilitate the BEV adoption in Europe.
A settlement for Volkswagen 2.0-liter diesel cars with "defeat device" software was approved at the end of October, and the process of offering buybacks to affected owners is now underway. Owners can sell their cars back to VW Group for a predetermined amount, or choose to wait for possible modifications to be approved that would allow the cars to... 
The Volkswagen Group has reached a preliminary agreement with U.S. regulators to address 83,000 3.0-liter V-6 diesel vehicles with illegal "defeat device" software. The agreement—which covers a variety of SUVs and sedans sold by Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen—must still be finalized and approved by a federal judge. Affected cars will... 
As Volkswagen aims to resolve numerous lawsuits related to its use of illegal "defeat device" software in diesel cars, federal agencies are continuing their criminal investigations of the company's actions. As part of its investigation, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is now seeking more information on whether Volkswagen destroyed cell phones... 
The original Volkswagen Microbus is an iconic design that is still instantly recognizable decades after the last ones were sold in the U.S. That might explain why rumors of the vehicle's return are so persistent. A new VW Microbus has been whispered about multiple times over the past few years, and now the automaker has teased us with photos of... 
VW Group announced yesterday it had reached a preliminary agreement with various regulators to resolve civil suits related to "defeat device" software in vehicles fitted with its 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engines. Those cars—a variety of SUVs and sedans sold by Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen—will either be modified to comply with emission... 
These days, it's possible to order virtually anything online—but for the most part, buying a car still requires going to a physical dealership and signing papers. But, in one country at least, Volkswagen is experimenting with an alternative. The German automaker is launching an online-sales scheme in Denmark for its Up minicar. DON'T MISS... 
The Volkswagen 2.0-liter diesel settlement approved by a federal judge at the end of October includes a provision for funding of zero-emission vehicle infrastructure. Under the agreement, VW will spend $2 billion in charging or fueling infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles. Exactly how that money will be spent, and how the program will be... 
The Volkswagen diesel settlement for 2.0-liter TDI models, approved at the end of October, includes a provision for $2 billion in funds to install charging or fueling infrastructure for zero-emission vehicles. There has been considerable debate over what those funds should be used for, and how they should be administered. The vast majority of the... 
As it works toward moving past its diesel-emissions scandal, the Volkswagen Group is making ambitious plans for electric cars. By 2025, the company hopes to be selling 1 million electric cars per year, and it has said it will launch 30 different electric models across multiple brands in the coming years. Now VW says some of those cars may be built... 
