You heard of a Volkswagen ID.1 multiple times already. Here at InsideEVs, we have written four articles about it from March, when the first rumors emerged, until September, when the German automaker confirmed it is working on it. Greg Kable filled some of the blanks by revealing the car will use a new platform called MEB Lite. Reuters confirmed it will cost between €20,000 to €25,000 ($24,000 to $30,000).

But there is more. Kable also said Volkwagen wants the new architecture – certainly cheaper and probably shorter than the MEB – to pack up to 45 kWh. When you remember the e-CMP the , e-2008, Opel Corsa-e, and Citroën e-C4 use offers 50 kWh, something more than 10 percent smaller may be quite disappointing.

Volkswagen ID.1 E-Zzity

The deal in this case is energy efficiency. If Volkswagen is able to make its cars run longer than those of PSA, that will not be an issue. However, it is worth remembering that Volkswagen adopts a buffering strategy not to stress the battery packs too much, which makes us wish it will be larger and the 45 kWh referred by Kable are the usable ones.

There’s plenty of time for us to confirm that since the first units of the ID.1 will only reach the market in 2023 – or later. This urban EV will replace the e-up! and it will not be the only one for the MEB Lite.

For it to make sense, the new architecture will have to allow for huge volumes. This is why Volkswagen will also do an ID.2 – an EV for the B segment, as big as the Polo – and will get Skoda and Seat producing their versions of these compact electric cars. We would not doubt to see the Skoda and Seat versions appearing even before the ones with the VW badge.

China will be an important part of the strategy to achieve high sale volumes with the MEB Lite. Volkswagen promised to make many more models over the architecture in that country, something that will probably be easy considering its Chinese partners and the companies with which Volkswagen has an involvement, such as JAC.

Source: Autocar and Reuters

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