How Volkswagen is using escape rooms to prepare employees for an electric future
If you’ve ever been in an escape room, you know how fast pace and intense it can be. Volkswagen is applying the same methodology to train its employees for the future of electric vehicles, but these are not your typical escape rooms.
When you bring your car in for a checkup, it’s not a toolbox anymore the mechanic brings out – it’s often a laptop they carry that can diagnose the issue without having to lift a finger.
As the auto industry rapidly shifts to electric vehicles, automakers are training employees to build and service the future of transportation. Electric vehicles are more sophisticated than their gas-powered predecessors, therefore requiring a different set of skills to work on.
Some automakers like Mercedes-Benz have launched employee training programs to leave employees feeling confident about explaining the benefits and technology of EVs.
Others, such as GM’s Cadillac, required engineers and specialists to inspect the Lyriq EV before dealers were allowed to deliver them to employees to ensure quality.
By using escape rooms, Volkswagen may have the most unique idea yet.
Volkswagen preps for an electric future with escape rooms
In a bid to equip its workforce with the skills needed to thrive in an electric future, the German automaker has designed immersive, collaborative games to ease the transition.
According to Bloomberg, teams of four VW employees are tasked with solving riddles on electric and battery technology as they move through the “escape room” spaces. Teams move from an 1860s-themed living room to the modern era, answering questions and cracking codes to find EV clues to escape.
Gunnar Kilian, Volkswagen’s head of human resources, explains the escape rooms, saying:
This is one building block in the process of bringing the workers into the world of e-mobility.
The project is currently being used at VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters to help transition around 22,000 workers to build EVs.
Volkswagen’s electric ID.3 model will be the first to begin production during the second half of the year. Although the company’s revolutionary Trinity EV project has been put on hold due to software issues, VW is expected to fill the gap in 2026 with an electric version of its best-selling SUV, tipped to be called the ID.Tiguran.
Electrek’s Take
Whatever works, right? Volkswagen using escape rooms to teach employees about electric vehicles and prep them for the future may seem crazy, but it may just work.
First, it teaches them to work together in a fast-paced, demanding environment, and more importantly, employees learn the ins and outs of zero-emission EVs. We’ll see if it can help them build EVs faster.
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Environment
U.S. crude oil falls below $60 a barrel to lowest since 2021 on tariff-fueled recession fears
A view shows disused oil pump jacks at the Airankol oil field operated by Caspiy Neft in the Atyrau Region, Kazakhstan April 2, 2025.
Pavel Mikheyev | Reuters
U.S. oil prices dropped below $60 a barrel on Sunday on fears President Donald Trump’s global tariffs would push the U.S., and maybe the world, into a recession.
Futures tied to U.S. West Texas intermediate crude fell more than 3% to $59.74 on Sunday night. The move comes after back-to-back 6% declines last week. WTI is now at the lowest since April 2021.
Worries are mounting that tariffs could lead to higher prices for businesses, which could lead to a slowdown in economic activity that would ultimately hurt demand for oil.
Oil futures, 5 years
The tariffs, which are set to take effect this week, “would likely push the U.S. and possibly global economy into recession this year,” according to JPMorgan. The firm on Thursday raised its odds of a recession this year to 60% following the tariff rollout, up from 40%.
Fueled by incentives from the Illinois EPA and the state’s largest utility company, new EV registrations nearly quadrupled the 12% first-quarter increase in EV registrations nationally – and there are no signs the state is slowing down.
Despite the dramatic slowdown of Tesla’s US deliveries, sales of electric vehicles overall have perked up in recent months, with Illinois’ EV adoption rate well above the Q1 uptick nationally. Crain’s Chicago Business reports that the number of new EVs registered across the state totaled 9,821 January through March, compared with “just” 6,535 EVs registered in the state during the same period in 2024.
Those numbers represent more than 50% growth in EV registrations – far beyond the expected 12% first-quarter increase nationally being projected by Cox Automotive. (!)
What’s going on in Illinois?
While President Trump and Elmo were running for re-election, they campaigned on the threat promise of canceling the $7,500 federal tax credit for EVs. Along with California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois’ Governor JB Pritzker made countermoves – launching a $4,000 rebate for new electric cars and up to $1,500 for the purchase of a new electric motorcycle.
At the same time, the state’s largest utility, ComEd, launched a $90 million EV incentive program featuring a new Point of Purchase initiative to deliver instant discounts to qualifying business and public sector customers who make the switch to electric vehicles. That program has driven a surge in Class 3-6 medium duty commercial EVs, which are eligible fro $20-30,000 in utility rebates on top of federal tax credits and other incentives (Class 1-2 EVs are eligible for up to $7,500).
We covered the launch of those incentives when the program was announced at Chicago Drives Electric last year, but the message here is simple: incentives work.
SOURCES: Chicago Business, Ray Cunningham; featured image by the author.
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The electric construction equipment experts at XCMG just released a new, 25 ton electric crawler excavator ahead of bauma 2025 – and they have their eye on the global urban construction, mine operations, and logistical material handling markets.
Powered by a high-capacity 400 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery capable of delivering up to 8 hours of continuous operation, the XE215EV electric excavator promises uninterrupted operation at a lower cost of ownership and with even less downtime than its diesel counterparts.
XCMG is delivering on part of that reduced downtime promise with the lower maintenance and easier repair needs of electric equipment, and delivering on the rest of it with lickety-quick DC fast charging that can recharge the machine’s massive battery in 1.5-2 hours … but that’s not the slick bit. The XCMG XE125EV can be powered up without leaving the job site thanks to its BYD battery swap technology.
We first covered XCMG and its battery swap technology back in January, and covered similar battery-swap tech being developed by MOOG Construction offshoot ZQUIP, as well – but while XCMG’s battery tech has been in production for several years, it’s still not widely known about in the West (even within the industry).
XCMG showed off its latest electric equipment at the December 2024 bauma China, including an updated version of its of its 85-ton autonomous electric mining truck that features a fully cab-less design – meaning there isn’t even a place for an operator to sit, let alone operate. And that’s too bad, because what operator wouldn’t want to experience an electric truck putting down 1070 hp more than 16,000 lb-ft of torque!?
Easy in, easy out
The best part? All of the company’s heavy equipment assets – from excavators to terminal tractors to dump trucks and wheel loaders – all use the same 400 kWh BYD battery packs, Milwaukee tool style. That means an equipment fleet can utilize x number of vehicles with a fraction of the total battery capacity and material needs of other asset brands. That’s not just a smart use of limited materials, it’s a smarter use of energy.
You can check out all the XE215EV’s specs at this tear sheet, and get an in-person look at the Chinese company’s latest electric excavator this week in Munich, Germany.
SOURCE | IMAGES: XCMG.
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