Volkswagen relies on Infineon for its electric future

Infineon’s power modules control the electric drive in Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix MEB, which is, currently, the industry’s largest electrification platform. As part of FAST, Infineon and Volkswagen will also discuss future semiconductor requirements. “Together with our customers, we want to ensure that electro-mobility becomes part of people’s everyday life,” says Peter Schiefer, President of the Automotive Division of Infineon, in a press release. “Together with Volkswagen, we can identify requirements early on and create innovations that increase the range of electric vehicles or reduce charging times, for example.” The Volkswagen Group has announced that it intends to launch almost 70 new e-models and build 22 million e-vehicles over the next ten years. Most of them will be based on the MEB, including the new ID. family from the Volkswagen brand, as well as models from Audi, Seat and Škoda. However, Infineon is by no means the new kid on the market for electro-mobility; in 2018, 15 of the 20 top-selling electric models and plug-in hybrid vehicles worldwide used its components. In order to cater for growing demand for power electronics in the automotive industry as well as other sectors, Infineon is expanding its production capacities at its existing plants in Dresden (Germany) and Kulim (Malaysia). Over the coming years, the company is also investing EUR 1.6 billion in a new and highly efficient factory to produce power semiconductors in Villach (Austria). The new factory is scheduled to go into operation in 2021.