Volkswagen, the world’s largest auto-maker launched a new all-electric compact car, the ID.3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show that got underway on 12 September. This year’s show was dominated by electric vehicles (EV) from European manufacturers, including BMW and Mercedes.
But Volkswagen’s ID.3 appeared to draw the most attention, among others for its very affordable pricing. Slated to be released in mid-2020, the ID.3 will come in three variants that offer between 330 and 550 kilometer range on a single charge.
That base model of the ID.3, priced at under €30,000 (about $33,000), has a 45kWh battery and offers 330 kilometers of range on a single charge. The company has declined to provide pricing information for the two larger capacity variants of the car, which will feature 58kWh and 77kWh batteries, and will respectively offer around 420 and 550 kilometers per charge.
VW says the base version of the ID.3 will only charge at up to 50kW, and owners who want to charge faster (up to 100kW) will have to pay extra; 100kW charging will come standard on the midrange 58kWh version, while even faster 125kW charging will be available on the top-tier ID.3. The company is also offering an eight year / 160,000 kilometer warranty on the ID.3’s battery pack.
The ID.3, which resembles the German automaker’s popular Golf hatchback, has the potential to be a very important car for VW. It will be the first vehicle built on the company’s new modular all-electric platform, one that will power dozens more cars and SUVs that are waiting in the wings as part of the larger Volkswagen Group’s multibillion-dollar push into EVs.
While the ID.3 may resemble an updated Golf from the outside, VW says it will be far roomier on the inside. By removing the internal combustion engine, placing the electric motor right on the rear axle, and putting the batteries in the vehicle’s floor, the automaker is able to extend the cabin forward, thus freeing up previously inaccessible space to the company’s designers.
The result should be a car that’s compact in profile, but feels more comfortable to ride in, and also has more storage than a vehicle of this size. Extra space is a common promise when it comes to EVs, but it may matter even more in a car like the ID.3, which will cost less than almost any other all-electric on the market. VW is likely to hammer on this point as it ramps up to the 2020 release of the car.
Inside that more spacious cabin, drivers and passengers will find an interior that is more high-tech than what VW currently offers at lower price points. The central focus is a new 25cm touchscreen that sits in the middle of the ID.3’s dashboard. But VW has also opted to rely on touch-sensitive buttons throughout the cabin. In fact, the only things that are controlled through physical buttons, VW says, are the windows and the hazard lights. The ID.3’s interior may not be as severe an exercise in minimalism as Tesla’s Model 3, but it is just as dismissive of physical buttons.
Some other high-tech touches include an optional ‘augmented reality’ heads-up display that projects information onto the ID.3’s windshield, and voice-activated controls that can be triggered by saying “Hello ID.” There’s a wireless charging mat for smartphones, and buyers can upgrade to a Beats-branded stereo package, which VW says “offers an audio atmosphere like at a live concert.”
The ID.3 can also be equipped with keyless entry, and the car’s LED matrix headlights will even ‘flutter’ a set of ‘eyelids’ when the owner approaches, a feature that VW says gives the car a “friendly” and “human” touch.
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