We promised it and it’s finally happened: You can now aim your browser at the Volkswagen website and make a reservation to buy the ID.4, Wolfsburg’s first long-range, fully electric vehicle for the United States market. That means we now also know what the price is going to be: The ID.4’s MSRP will begin at $39,995, which does not count the $7,500 federal tax credit for which the vehicle is eligible under law. Just like the Beetle, the ID.4 will be driven by an electric motor powering, and located between, the rear wheels, the motor producing the equivalent of 201 horsepower and delivering an estimated 250 miles per charge. A higher-priced AWD variant will be introduced later. Initial production will take place at Volkswagen’s plant in Zwickau, Saxony, Germany, before assembly is shifted to Chattanooga, Tennessee, in 2022.
The new Volts-wagen – sorry, couldn’t resist – is based on Wolfsburg’s EV-specific MEB platform, which incorporates a 12-module battery pack mounted beneath the underbody to lower the ID.4’s center of gravity. Each vehicle will be sold with three years’ worth of fast-charging access via Electrify American; the ID.4 is equipped with inverters that allow it to be fast-charged using either AC or DC current. An 11 kW onboard charger can replenish the battery pack at the rate of 31 miles’ worth per hour, with a full charge using home electricity taking about 7.5 hours. Using a DC fast-charging station capable of up to 125 kW, the ID.4 can go from 5 percent charged to 80 percent in 38 minutes. Underneath, the EV utilizes struts up front with lower control arms and coils, plus coils and multiple links at the rear. Interestingly for a vehicle of this price, the ID.4 has disc brakes in front and drums out back – with regenerative braking from the electric driveline, rear discs become somewhat superfluous.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 