Also in Frankfurt, Volkswagen was doing its own rollout, albeit involving a vehicle it has no current (pun intended) plans of selling in North America. Volkswagen this week debuted the ID.3 subcompact, the first vehicle to be built on its MEB platform for electrically powered vehicles. Depending on variant and optioning, the ID.3 will be able to deliver driving ranges of 330 to 420 kilometers on a single charge.
Among the car’s technological capabilities are Volkswagen’s assurance that the ID.3 can store enough energy for a 290-kilometer drive with only 30 minutes’ worth of charging. The German giant will further guarantee that the ID.3’s battery pack will last for eight years or 160,000 kilometers. With an anticipated starting price of less than 30,000 euros when it goes on sale in mid-2020, the ID.3 will attempt to replicate the original Beetle’s massive success in creating a whole new mode of personal transportation. The car is no larger externally than the conventionally powered Golf, yet boasts the largest interior dimensions in its size category. Volkswagen reckons that government subsidies for zero-carbon electric vehicles in its home market, combined with charging stations at all 4,000 Volkswagen dealerships in Europe, will assure the ID.3’s success with buyers. So, the plan goes, will be Volkswagen’s intention to establish 400 ultra-fast charging stations along major European express highways among the more than 100,000 charging points linked to Volkswagen’s WeCharge network throughout Europe. No matter what some individuals in the United States might have you believe, this is the future of driving for many of us folks.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 