Here’s What Makes the New Audi PPE EV Platform a Surefire Hit
VW’s PPE EV platform – set to underpin a number of future Audi models – is an impressive and truly flexible piece of kit.
It’s been quite some time since Audi announced its all-electric ambitions, which are tied to a wide array of new, exiting models from it, along with its Volkswagen Group counterparts, Porsche and even Bentley. However, one could argue that the most important component in this monumental shift is the new Premium Platform Electric Architecture – otherwise known as the PPE EV platform that will underpin those vehicles. After all, modularity is all the rage in the automotive world these days – particularly for pricey all-electric models – which is precisely why the PPE EV platform could quite easily make or break those efforts. Luckily for Audi, failure in this case doesn’t seem likely, given what MotorTrend recently discovered about this impressive platform.
This is due to a variety of factors, including the fact that PPE essentially piggybacks on an existing, proven platform – Volkswagen’s MEB architecture, which already underpins a variety of EVs, some of which have been on the market for years now. However, PPE is also highly flexible in every conceivable way. The automaker is able to stretch its wheelbase to between 113.8 to 121.3 inches, its width from 64.6 to 67.5 inches, and tweak ground clearance from 6 to 8.5 inches – making it suitable for a wide range of applications including passenger cars and crossovers/SUVs, of course.
From there, Audi can fit any of three next-generation, permanent magnet synchronous (PSM) electric motor designs to the PPE platform as well, with three different stator lengths to allow for three different outputs. These motors are all mated to the same single-speed transmission, though four different gear ratios are available, and that same gearbox is capable of decoupling itself from the wheels to boost efficiency. One of the most important factors pertaining to these drivetrain components, however, is that they’re lighter, smaller, and less expensive to produce than their current counterparts.
On the charging side of things, PPE utilizes an 800-volt electrical architecture and a 100 kWh prismatic battery pack that’s capable of accepting a charge rate up to 270 kW. This means that when plugged into a 350 kW charger, PPE-equipped vehicles can go from a 10 percent state of charge to 80 percent in just 22 minutes, or add 60 miles of range in around four minutes while DC fast charging. To help boost charge times, the battery pack is also capable of functioning like two 400-volt units as well.
One of the more impressive things about this battery pack, however, is that it’s being designed so that individual modules can be replaced, which is a big deal for several reasons – chiefly, it will be far cheaper to repair this way rather than replacing the entire pack, which is currently the case with most EVs. VW can even update the battery pack as superior chemistries arrive, so it’s somewhat future proof, too. Regardless, VW isn’t exactly resting on its laurels either, as the automaker is already eyeing a replacement for both MEB and PPE later on down the road – its under-development Scalable Systems Platform (SSP), which is expected to underpin all of the company’s future models – both mainstream and premium.
Photos: Audi
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