Volkswagen ID.4 Completes A Cross-Country Trip Using EA Chargers

The electric SUV used 32 Electrify America charging stations on its cross-country journey.

A Volkswagen ID.4 Completes A Cross-Country Trip Using EA Chargers

Michael Cantu

By: Michael Cantu

Apr 9, 2021 at 8:08am ET

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Volkswagen of America has driven an ID.4 electric SUV across the country. The 6,700-mile journey started in New York City in mid-March and ended in Sacramento, CA on schedule 18 days later.

Some of the stops in the mostly southern route included Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Orlando, New Orleans, Dallas, El Paso, Tucson, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. The drive team created a daily vlog series that can be seen on the Volkswagen USA News YouTube channel.

Volkswagen ID.4 completes cross-country drive night rear

“We proved exactly what we set out to do with this drive, which was to show that with a little planning, covering long distances in an EV can be easy,” said Dustin Krause, Director, e-Mobility, Volkswagen of America. “We met so many people on the road and were able to show off the ID.4 to the U.S., just as deliveries are starting to happen at dealerships. The ID.4 performed flawlessly and we’re hoping this trip reiterates that electric vehicles and EV charging networks are ready for the masses.”

The ID.4 used 32 Electrify America (EA) charging stations during the cross-country trip. According to the press release, the charging network is the largest open DC fast-charging network in the US that consists of over 560 charging stations and more than 2,400 DC fast chargers. EA’s network is open meaning anyone can use it, unlike Tesla’s charging network, which is larger, can only be used by Teslas.

Volkswagen ID.4 completes cross-country drive front

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There are two cross-country EA routes, one from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles (although it appears you can start in NYC) and one from Jacksonville to San Diego. Both are mostly southern routes because there is a big gap in the upper midwest area. The Dakotas, Wyoming, and most of Montana and Minnesota lack EA chargers. The tip of the New England area and parts of the Deep South are also mostly absent of EA chargers.

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It’s possible that EA is focusing on the more popular travel routes first and could get to the less-traveled routes next. The press release states that EA plans to increase its number of stations to 800 and the amount of DC fast chargers to 3,500 by December of this year. With more EVs hitting the market, the EA network will continue to grow over the next several years and hopefully fills those gaps so that everyone can enjoy long road trips in EVs.