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Volkswagen ID Series: Stepping Stone Towards an Electric Future

Volkswagen is the only automobile giant that has signed the Paris Agreement. This agreement mandates nations and companies to promote green infrastructure and reduce Carbon Dioxide emissions in their countries.  Paris agreement makes it legally binding to its co-signees to help clean up the environment and alleviate pollution problems.

Volkswagen ID Series: Stepping Stone Towards an Electric Future

In late 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency issued notice to Volkswagen regarding emissions from their gasoline cars. After extensive inspections and international court hearings, the courts found Volkswagen guilty in the scandal. This was called the Diesel Gate emissions scandal. As part of a settlement, the courts forced the company to sign the Paris Agreement.

ID Series

The ID series of the company is an attempt to clean its tarnished image. In the upcoming years, Volkswagen plans to stop production of all of its Diesel and Petrol Internal Combustion Engine vehicles. It is switching to hybrid electric and battery electric vehicles.

The ID series currently has 2 models that are available for sale. They are the ID.3, ID.4, ID.4 GTX, ID.R. Volkswagen plans to expand their ID series in the future. There are concepts for a minibus, a sedan, a crossover, and an inexpensive hatchback. VW is trying to go bold since they have a concept for an Electric Dune Buggy.

The Volkswagen ID.3

The Volkswagen ID.3 is a hatchback based on VW Golf. The design of ID 3 is very futuristic. It is a compact C-segment car that was built from the ground up as a battery-electric car. Volkswagen unveiled the ID.3 on 9 September 2019 at the Frankfurt auto show as a part of its e-mobility plan. The concept ID was first revealed in the 2016 Paris auto show.

Volkswagen ID.3

Electrical Specifications

The ID.3 has a 45-77 kWh battery with a range of 330-550 Kilometers in a single charge. The car uses a ChadeMo charger with DC fast charging. Additionally, the car charges using a 3 phase AC 11 KW charger as well as a single phase 7.2 KW AC charger. Using DC3 fast chargers the car can power up from 5% to 80% in 35 minutes.

The ID.3 started deliveries in Germany in 2020. The car is based on Volkswagen’s proprietary MEB platform. The cars based on this platform have a modular electric drive that means the company can easily update the hardware in the car. There are 7 trims of the ID.3; they are Life, Style, Family, Max, Tour, Business, Tech. The ID.3 has come in various bold colors and all the trims can be customized according to the buyer’s needs.

Features of the ID.3

Volkswagen ID.3 has advanced features such as Augmented Reality(AR) Heads Up display, voice assistant, intelligent ambient lights, and optional matrix LED lights. The driver doesn’t need to change gears so the central gear shifter console is non-existent. The ID.3 has a beautiful panoramic roof which provides beautiful views of the skies above the people in the car. The car makes a futuristic artificial sound when it is moving to alert the nearby pedestrians. The ID.3 starts at around $28000 dollars and the price can reach as high as $45000 dollars for the top-end trim.

The Volkswagen ID.4

I.D. series has another car in its belt available to the public. Volkswagen ID.4 is a battery-electric SUV which is one of the first electric SUVs in the market. The ID.4 has two variants which are ID.4 and the ID.4 GTX. ID.4 GTX is a performance version of the regular ID.4 and has great acceleration times and other important performance parameters like traction, maximum speed, and Wh/miles. Like ID.3, ID.4 is also based on the MEB platform.

Volkswagen ID.4

The ID.4 has a bold, aggressive exterior and demands the attention of on lookers. It has shiny alloy wheels and eye-catching colors. VW has made the body of the vehicle extremely streamlined so as to reduce the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle which will improve the vehicle battery life. There are light bars on both the front and back end of the car which gives it a unique look. ID.4 has recently received the World Car of the Year award for 2021, judged by auto journalists from 28 countries.

The Interior of the ID.4 is very spacious and can fit 5 adults comfortably. Like many other electric cars, the ID.4 has a minimalist design. It has a glass roof which gives a sweeping view of the sky above. ID.4 comes with the VW car net which allows the user to remotely manipulate the functions of the car.

Electrical Specifications

ID.4 has a battery capacity of 77 KWh with a range of 410 kilometers on a single charge depending on atmospheric temperature. The efficiency of the car is around 188 Wh/km which is moderately good for an electric vehicle. It goes from 0-60 miles/hour in 8.5 seconds and has a top speed of 160 km/hr. With a DC fast charger, takes around 34-69 minutes (depending on the charger rating) for the car to charge from 10% SoC to 80% SoC.

Interior

The car has a 12-inch touchscreen, intuitive start which starts the car automatically when the person has a key fob and sits in the driver’s seat. The screen manipulates temperature controls, audio and ambient lighting controls of the car. Wireless connectivity is also present in the ID.4 which enables it to receive over-the-air updates. These updates help the car to improve its performance. In the future, it may also be able to add self-driving features to the vehicle.

Safety and Price

All the Volkswagen ID series cars have a 5-star safety rating. The bold and futuristic design of the ID series has attracted a lot of customers despite the high price. The ID.4 starts at $40000 dollars which is a lot of money for an SUV. The ID series shows Volkswagen group’s commitment to shifting to net-zero future by reducing their carbon footprint. ID series is setting an example for other automotive giants. Companies like Ford, General Motors, Toyota are racing for more market capitalization in the electric vehicle sector by launching their own cars.

Many established companies are stepping into the electric vehicle industry. This means that they are serious about consumer demands for cleaner cars and cleaner environment. They are willing to bring a drastic change in the automotive industry due to the impending climate crisis. ID Series is a good foundation for that bright future we all want to live in. It is providing hope to people that the future can be clean and green.

Raajas Joshi
Raajas Joshi
An electrical engineer passionate about electric vehicles and sustainable technologies.

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