The new MEB+ platform from the Volkswagen Group for electric cars: up to 700 km of range

More range and faster battery charging. That is what the Volkswagen Group announces for the next evolution of its modular MEB platform for electric cars, which it calls MEB+. But if you have bought an electric car from one of the Group’s brands using this MEB platform, you can rest easy: the MEB+ is not going to replace it, but will instead be used in new models that will arrive to expand the current range.

In fact, the MEB still has plenty of life left. So far 670,000 electric cars from Volkswagen, Audi, Cupra and Skoda have been built on this platform since 2019, and plans call for producing up to 10 million units. Of these, no fewer than 500,000 are models from the ID family, which, let us remember, already includes the ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.6 (for the Chinese market only) and ID-Buzz. The Audi Q4 e-tron, Cupra Born and Skoda Enyaq also use this platform.

The advantages of a modular platform such as the MEB

One of the many advantages of using a modular platform such as the Volkswagen Group’s MEB is precisely the synergies it allows between the different brands, which helps lower costs, although this is something end users have yet to notice, while waiting for electric car prices to match those of combustion-engine cars. That seems to be getting closer as more and more electric cars are built and battery costs keep falling.

The next advantage is the modularity this construction allows, and the new MEB+ is an example. With the battery installed under the body floor, the platform can be adapted to different types of vehicles, from city cars or SUVs to vans, as it is very easy to modify the wheelbase and track width. In the case of the Volkswagen Group, 12 models are already built on this platform. This modularity also makes it possible to adapt the battery capacity to the vehicle; for example, the ID.3, which debuted the MEB platform, can be had with a 58 kWh or a 77 kWh battery, with ranges from 400 to more than 550 km. It is also very easy to offer versions with 4×2 or 4×4 drive, using one motor on each axle.

For users, the two main advantages are felt from the inside out… and at the wheel. This type of construction makes far better use of interior space, offering the interior room of a saloon in a compact car. And the position of the batteries keeps the centre of gravity very low, improving dynamic behaviour.

What is coming: 10 new models for 2026

Now, Volkswagen takes the next step with this MEB+, which, in addition to improvements in software and equipment for the cars that use it, will feature a new generation of batteries with prismatic cells and higher energy density, with which the brand already announces that range will exceed 700 km. Charging times are also expected to improve, as maximum charging power rises to 200 kW, compared with the current 135 kW.

But these are not the only novelties Volkswagen is preparing, which announces 10 new electric models for 2026 across all segments, from an entry-level model with an expected price of around 25,000 euros to new luxury saloons and SUVs.