Electric VW ID.3: 420km WLTP range, €40,000, available mid-2020
The first model of VW’s all-electric I.D. family won’t be called Neo, but ID.3 and can now be pre-ordered in Europe. This C-segment hatchback is expected to have the same impact on the market as the Beetle and the Golf, its maker reckons, as it will make e-mobility available to the masses.
The entry-level model will feature a range of 330km and will retail in Germany at less than €30,000 including VAT – the price of a diesel-powered Golf. The medium-range model gets you 420km of e-range, whereas the big-battery version can drive 550 km on a single charge.
Tesla style
Only the mid-range model will be available at first. In fact, customers in Europe can now pay a fully refundable deposit of €1,000 to pre-book one of the 30,000 ID.3 1ST models – a special launch edition that comes with 2,000kWh of free charging during the first year at all public charging points connected to the Volkswagen charging app We Charge, and also using the pan-European Ionity rapid charging network. Now, where have we seen this approach before?
The value of this charging credit depends on where and when you redeem it. With a kWh price range of €0.20 to €0.80, it's reasonable to assume it will be between €400 and €1,600.
The price of the ID.3 1ST will be less than €40,000 including VAT in Germany. Production of the ID.3 1ST is to start at the end of 2019 and the first vehicles are to be delivered to customers in mid-2020.The ID.3 is built for the European market and is unlikely to be shipped across the Atlantic or built at a later stage in China.
Pre-booking is being offered in 29 European markets. The most important markets in Europe for the ID.3 will be Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, France, the UK and Austria. The final version of the ID.3 will be revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2019.
Sufficient supply
The question is whether VW will be able to build enough of them. Battery supply issues are currently slowing down Audi e-tron production and pushing back the launch of new EV models. VW has in the meantime communicated that it will be investing 1 billion euros towards the creation of its own battery cell production facility, but in the coming years, it will remain dependent on the Asian players.
