> guess how hard it is to change that and retool? not easy...
This is one of the main reasons for VW to develop the MEB. This drive matrix can be used as the foundation for EV iterations on many of their current production models plus new ones of course:
> The MEB platform is part of a wide strategy to start production of new battery electric vehicles between 2019 and 2025. In 2017, the VW Group announced a gradual transition from combustion engine to battery electric vehicles with all 300 models across 12 brands having an electric version by 2030.
> As of May 2018, the VW Group has committed $48 billion in car battery supplies and plans to outfit 16 factories to build electric cars by the end of 2022. The upcoming Volkswagen-branded production cars will be assembled in VW's Zwickau plant in Germany for the European market from 2020, while two production centers in North America and China are planned to be "launched at almost the same time". The Škoda-branded SUV Vision E is to be produced in the Škoda plant Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, along with electric motors and electric car batteries. [1]
I wonder how Tesla will keep up with that.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Group_MEB_platform