Volkswagen announced this week a few more details about the upcoming ID.3 model, which will be pivotal for the brand.

First of all, the lithium-ion battery packs (three options: 45 kWh, 58 kWh and 77 kWh) will be covered at 70% of usable capacity warranty for 8 years or 160,000 km (≈100,000 miles).

The second is confirmation about charging power. DC charging (using CCS Combo 2) to be up to 125 kW, which is highest for the compact non-premium segment so far. In the best case scenario, 30 minutes of recharge of the biggest battery should translate into 260 km/162 miles of additional range (WLTP).

"Volkswagen also designed the batteries to be able to accommodate a charging capacity of up to 125 kW, which is higher than anything achieved to date in the ID.3 segment and ensures fast charging and shorter charging stops."

In terms of AC charging, Volkswagen says the power is up to 11 kW, which in Europe means a 3-phase charger. The press release doesn't say whether the single-phase will be around 3 kW or around 7 kW.

"Volkswagen expects that around 50 per cent of all charging operations will be performed at home and 20 per cent at work. A new range of wall boxes were designed with exactly this relationship in mind. These charging stations, which can be installed at home or at a business, work with charging capacities of up to 11 kilowatts (AC). The advantage here is that the charging time is much shorter than with a conventional 230-volt power supply – the wall box has enough power to charge a battery up to full power overnight or in the course of a working day. Volkswagen also believes that 25 per cent of all charging operations will occur in public spaces and five per cent at recharging stations on motorways."

Here is all we know about the ID.3:

Volkswagen ID.3 market launch:

  • Launching the pre-booking of ID.3 1ST on May 8 (30,000 units)
  • Presentation of the ID.3 at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019
  • Sales of the pre-booked cars will start after the auto show (orders to be taken by dealers)
  • Production of the ID.3 1ST is to start as planned at the end of 2019 in Zwickau, Germany
  • the first vehicles are to be delivered in mid-2020
  • Target production is claimed to be above 100,000 annually.

The offer:

  • ID.3 1ST special edition (30,000 vehicles), medium battery pack (58 kWh, 420 km / 261 miles of WLTP range), starting below €40,000 in Germany before the deduction of the subsidy, in four colors and three trim versions
  • ID.3 regular with medium battery pack
  • ID.3 regular with big battery pack
  • ID.3 regular with base battery pack starting below €30,000 (target) in Germany

* Registration deposit is €1,000, but could vary in other countries (£750 in the UK).

Gallery: Volkswagen ID.3 Prebooking

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NEW ID.3 AND FUTURE ID. MODELS TO BE EQUIPPED WITH BATTERIES OFFERING THE HIGHEST CAPACITY – AND AN EIGHT-YEAR WARRANTY

  • Volkswagen will guarantee the capacity of the ID. batteries for eight years or 160,000 kilometres.
  • The batteries in the ID. family can accommodate a charging capacity of up to 125 kW, which means they can be charged very quickly on the road
  • A new range of Volkswagen wall boxes will make rapid charging a reality at home and at work

Wolfsburg (Germany) – Volkswagen will launch production of the ID.31) before the year is out. The compact-class model is the first member of the ID. family – a new generation of progressive electric vehicles whose lithium-ion batteries will allow for a range of up to 550 kilometres, making the models perfect for comfortable long journeys. The future owners of ID. models won’t need to worry about the durability of their batteries either, as Volkswagen will guarantee that the batteries will retain at least 70 per cent of their usable capacity even after eight years or 160,000 kilometres.

Centre of Excellence
In 2017, Volkswagen consolidated its battery development activities at a Centre of Excellence. Among other things, this centre is responsible for ensuring that all batteries in the ID. family retain their maximum capacity over a very long period of time and are thus able to guarantee long-range operation. “Our goal is to make sure the batteries last as long as the cars”, says Frank Blome, Head of the Centre   of Excellence in Salzgitter.

High charging capacity makes for quick charging times
Volkswagen will offer the ID. batteries in different sizes. This marks a completely new departure as compared to the approach taken with the brand’s current range of electric vehicles. If an owner of an ID. vehicle is not really interested in being able to drive long distances (for example because they mainly only drive short distances in a city), they can opt for a battery with a relatively low energy content. This, in turn, will make their vehicle less expensive. Those who frequently drive long distances, on the other hand, can choose a larger battery, which will make them more flexible in terms of how they use their car. Depending on the battery and vehicle type in question, a maximum range of approx. 330 to 550 kilometres (WLTP) can be achieved. Volkswagen also designed the batteries to be able to accommodate a charging capacity of up to 125 kW, which is higher than anything achieved to date in the ID.3 segment and ensures fast charging and shorter charging stops.

Convenient charging at home and extremely fast charging on the move
Volkswagen expects that around 50 per cent of all charging operations will be performed at home and 20 per cent at work. A new range of wall boxes were designed with exactly this relationship in mind. These charging stations, which can be installed at home or at a business, work with charging capacities of up to 11 kilowatts (AC). The advantage here is that the charging time is much shorter than with a conventional 230-volt power supply – the wall box has enough power to charge a battery up to full power overnight or in the course of a working day. Volkswagen also believes that 25 per cent of all charging operations will occur in public spaces and five per cent at recharging stations on motorways. Depending on the driving style employed, an ID.3 with the largest battery variant would only have to be charged twice on a trip from Hamburg to Munich, or from Turin to Paris (each trip is about 800 kilometres). If the battery is charged at a fast charging station with a high capacity, around 260 kilometres of additional range (WLTP) could be charged in 30 minutes.

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