Volkswagen's SSP platform of the future electric Golf explained

It will have fewer modules than the current MEB but will be more versatile. Coming in 2029, also with over 1,000 PS versions

By: Francesco Barontini

Dec 27, 2024 at 4:16am ET

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With the ID.3, Volkswagen has officially opened its third era, the electric era. To do so, it has focused on original models in terms of both name (ID, to be exact) and design. But to launch itself definitively into zero-emission mobility, the German manufacturer decided to draw heavily from its past.

It did so first with the ID.2all, a battery-powered compact that takes up the style of the famous Polo that was recently shown in a bad-boy guise with the ID.GTI concept, and then confirmed it by stating that a new electric Golf is in the pipeline. The car will represent a further leap forward in terms of technology, as it will be built on the brand new SSP (Scalable Systems Platform). So what can we expect?

The MEB is no longer enough

Let's start with the present. Nowadays, all of Volkswagen's electric cars - we are talking about the brand, not the group - are based on the MEB platform: modular platform designed exclusively for zero-emission models.

The MEB platform in its compact car variant

The MEB platform debuted in the increasingly distant 2019 and is now, although still subject to updates, about to be replaced by a new design. The Volkswagen electrics of the future will be built on the SSP platform. This includes the electric Golf, which will arrive in 2029. Let's see what advantages they can leverage to conquer the market.

One platform for all

The SSP platform, like the MEB, is modular and can be used for SUVs and saloons that are also very different. Announced in 2021 as the focal point of the Trinity project, the one that would bring next-generation electrics to life for the German group, it should replace in one fell swoop both the aforementioned MEB and the PPE, that Premium Platform Electric platform that is used for the Porsche Macan and the Audi A6 and Q6 e-tron.

The PPE platform on which the Porsche Macan EV is built

Compared to the current platform, the SSP will be built with a limited number of components, so it will be simpler, faster and cheaper to produce, while still providing the same versatility. The inspiring concept is the high degree of standardisation. The cars that will be born on the SSP will have the same powertrain management software, the same motors, the same batteries and the same driver assistance technologies, except they will be interchangeable to fit many models with different sizes and performance.

Volkswagen plans to use the SSP, which due to the high degree of integration between mechanical and electronic parts is called a mechatronic platform, for at least 40 million vehicles. They will have power outputs ranging from 115 to over 1,000 PS.

Watchword: simplify

The SSP platform is in the design phase. A highly qualified team is working on it at the new Sandkamp campus near the Wolfsburg headquarters. Leading the project is Markus Duesmann, who is responsible for all research and development in the Volkswagen Group and is also CEO of Audi.

How the modules of the SSP platform are organised

Photo by: Volkswagen

Duesmann himself said: 'With the SSP we will not offer a one-size-fits-all solution. However, we need to achieve maximum product differentiation and a significant reduction of variables at the same time. Therefore, the SSP consists of standardised modules with dedicated variants and some predefined platform dimensions.

"We will reduce the complexity by about 50 per cent by reducing the number of options for each component," Duesmann further said. "At the same time, we can still offer great differentiation through scalability and various combinations of modules in combination with different platform sizes. We will go from the current 22 different battery systems to eight."

Volkswagen ID. GTI concept presented at IAA 2023

The VW.OS software

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A new platform also means new software. With the introduction of the SSP, Volkswagen will debut a new operating system that will utilise state-of-the-art hardware components.

It will be realised by the Cariad division, which will be supported in its development by the American start-up Rivian, with which Volkswagen is creating a 50-50 joint venture whose task will be to share the two manufacturers' expertise in terms of software-defined electric cars.