In January 2023, there were initial announcements that new cars on the MEB platform would gain the APP550 motor instead of the existing APP310. In April, the APP550 motor was officially presented to us. It will be used in the VW ID. Buzz, VW ID.7, 2024 VW ID.4/ID.5, Skoda Enyaq 85, 2024 Audi Q4 e-tron 45 / 45 Quattro / 55 Quattro (note: Audi uses its own designations). Why is this Kassel-developed powertrain so important to Volkswagen?
APP550 motor versus APP310 motor
Before getting into the nitty-gritty, we take a look at the specs of the existing APP310 motor and the new APP550 motor. They have a torque of 310 and 545-550 Nm respectively (hence the names). The former has a maximum output of 150 kW/204 hp, although it can reach up to 170 kW/231 hp in the Cupra Born’s Boost mode. The second motor, the APP550, is so far not overclocked. It already has 210 kW/286 hp, so that virtually all cars equipped with it on the MEB platform accelerate to 100 km/h around 1.8 seconds faster than before.
Design of the APP310 Volkswagen motor (c) Volkswagen
In the words of Karsten Bennewitz, Head of Powertrain and Energy Systems in Development at Volkswagen: “Because the available space has not changed, we were compelled to develop a new drive that achieves significant improvements in performance and efficiency in spite of being subject to the same constraints. (…) The result shows that we were able to reduce the use of raw materials, while at the same time achieving a considerable increase in vehicle efficiency.” (source)
To give the motor a higher capacity, an oil circuit forced by the rotation of the gears in the gearbox was used, without the use of an electric oil pump. The oil itself is cooled using the car’s cooling system. The outer part of the stator, in turn, was fitted with a water-cooled heat sink. All these optimisations have resulted in higher power and better torque, giving virtually all SUVs of the Volkswagen Group brands a boost.
But the new 2024 model years should also have better range thanks to the APP550 motor, an increase of between 3 and around 5 per cent. Exact details should be revealed in Q4 2023, when the cars appear on dealer websites.
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