Volkswagen has announced most specs of its ID.3
electric compact series ahead of its Frankfurt reveal pending in a week. It confirmed that the first
batch, called the ID.3 1ST Edition, will consist of 30,000 cars and benefit
from a number of included options and extras. Apparently, the company has
already received more than 30,000 pre-orders from people willing to purchase
it, most notably from such countries as Great Britain, Germany, Netherlands,
Norway, and Sweden.
The ID.3 will ship with three battery sizes to
choose from: 45, 58 and 77 kilowatt-hours. Depending on your choice, the range
will vary from 330 to 550 km. The main engine will
deliver 204 hp to the rear axle. Interestingly, earlier press releases
mentioned a weaker engine rated at 170 hp. Maybe the basic trim will
ship with that one, while higher trims will benefit from 204 hp. Then again,
maybe not. The ID.3 1ST Edition coms based on an intermediate trim version, has
a 58 kWh battery and can travel as far as 420 km prior to asking for a
refill.
Refilling the ID.3 goes best when plugged into a
125kW DC charging station. However, even a 100kW DC outlet would pump enough
current into it within 30 minutes to cover 290 km. All traction
batteries ship with a warrantly valid for 8 years or 160,000 km.
The cheapest configuration will cost less than
€ 30,000, while the ID.3 1ST will be closer to € 40,000. Aside from numerous
options, the latter will benefit from 1 year of free charging (limited to 2,000
kWh). Production will begin in Zwickau, Germany, late this year, with the
first EVs rolling to their owners in early 2020s.
