VW to plough €20 billion into European and Chinese electric vehicle development

VW promises 16 new factories producing as many as 80 new electric cars

German car maker Volkswagen is planning to plough around €20 billion into a string of electric vehicle projects across Europe and China.

According to Reuters, the company has inked several partnership deals to develop battery cell technology, indicating a corporate drive towards electric vehicle development just over two years after the company was implicated in the diesel-emissions scandal.

More than two years ago, it emerged that the firm had deployed defeat devices that could detect when a car was being tested and then turn on its full emissions controls for the duration of the test.

While this affected performance, when the car was being driven normally, the full emission controls would be switched off to retain driver satisfaction - while to all intents and purposes the cars appeared to be fully compliant with stringent emissions regulations.

After it was busted, VW was fined and still faces a plethora of legal cases from governments, environmentalists and consumers around the world.

In response, Volkswagen has started to shift its focus to environment-friendly cars. In particular, it has been investing in battery projects and global pollution campaigns.

Today, the company revealed that it will increase its electric vehicle production capabilities by opening 16 new factories across the world by 2022.

The company revealed that it is also developing as many as 80 new electric cars, which it hopes to launch by 2025. As well as this, consumers will be able to choose an electric version of all of its car models.

The company has already chosen partners for future 'green tech' projects in Europe and China, but it did not reveal their names. Volkswagen added that it is currently looking for suppliers in North America.

Last year, the company said it will be spending over 50 billion euros on battery technology. However, at the time, it did not go into detail about the investment.

Many European countries have implemented tough carbon dioxide emission laws, prompting car manufacturer such as Volkswagen to increase investment into greentech.

Despite the fact that Volkswagen is still hurting financially from the emissions scandal, it claims that it wil spend an estimated €34 billion on developing its own electric vehicle technology.

It is also increasing research and development into autonomous driving and mobility services.

In an earnings call, VW chief executive Matthias Mueller said: "We have pulled out all the stops over the past months to implement the Roadmap E swiftly and resolutely."