Volkswagen I.D.
The Volkswagen I.D., with a range of 250 – 370 miles, is the first of a new fleet of electric cars from the company, and will be launched as a compact electric car in 2020 parallel to the Golf.
In “I.D. Pilot” mode, the electric car is capable of fully automated driving – this technology should be ready for series production in 2025.
Volkswagen has also set itself the goal of selling a million electric cars a year by 2025; the production version of the I.D. will make a key contribution towards this.
Volkswagen says that the I.D. reflects the Volkswagen brand strategy “Think New.” This strategy is based on four central areas of innovation, which are also reflected in the new Volkswagen design approach for electric vehicles including the I.D.:
- Smart Sustainability – Volkswagen is advancing the development of innovative high-volume electric cars;
- Automated Driving – Volkswagen is going to make cars even safer and more comfortable thanks to automated driving;
- Intuitive Usability – Volkswagen has put its focus on vehicles that are intuitive to operate and feature new display and control concepts;
- Connected Community – Volkswagen will interconnect humans, cars and the environment with a Volkswagen user identity, in future.
The I.D. is Volkswagen’s first compact concept car based on the new MEB vehicle architecture. MEB stands for “Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten” (“Modular Electric Drive Kit”) – and it was conceived for pure electric drive.
The driver can activate the fully automated mode “I.D. Pilot” by touching the Volkswagen logo on the steering wheel, resulting in the electrically adjustable and retractable steering wheel disappearing into the dashboard
The electric motor sits on the rear axle, and a high-voltage battery in the floor of the vehicle frees up more space.
The I.D. is positioned as a compact electric car with which Volkswagen aims to expand its range of high-volume models in parallel to existing global best sellers such as the Polo, Golf, Tiguan and Passat.
The electric powertrain has a power output of 170PS. The I.D. can accelerate from 0 to 62mph in under 8 seconds from a standing start and has a top speed of 100mph.
Subsequent production versions could also be offered with different battery capacities and electric motors.
The high-voltage battery used in the I.D. is located in the chassis. Power is transferred from the motor to the rear axle via a single-gear transmission. The motor, power electronics and transmission form one compact unit.
The battery can be charged by cable or using an inductive charging interface in the front of the car. To charge by cable, a separate charging plug is needed to connect the car to an electrical outlet, but for inductive charging all the driver needs to do is park the I.D. over a charging plate.
A rapid charging system allows the battery to be 80% charged after just 30 minutes.
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