The architecture is aimed to "consolidate electronic controls and reduce the number of microprocessors, advance the application of new driver-assistance technology and somewhat alter the way cars are built"[4] by the VW Group.

The MEB platform is part of a Volkswagen strategy to start production of new battery electric vehicles between 2019 and 2025.

[5] As of May 2018, the VW Group had committed US$48 billion in electric-vehicle batteries supplies[6] and announced plans to outfit 16 factories to build electric cars by the end of 2022.

[10] As of November 2018[update], two types of the MEB platform were slated to be developed: one for passenger vehicles and one for utility automobiles that accommodate heavier cargo.

[12] Ford Motor Company has a strategic partnership with Volkswagen for the MEB platform to benefit from economies of scale.

In addition to the platform, VW also offered individual components as well as top hat development and contract manufacturing.

Fully developed by Volkswagen, the name "APP" derives from the arrangement of the motor and the gearbox in parallel with the axle, while "310" references its maximum torque of 310 N⋅m (31.6 kg⋅m; 229 lb⋅ft).