VOLKSWAGEN ID.4 revealed as a mainline battery-only alternative
Meet Volkswagen’s production-ready electric SUV ID.4. Said to be the first global battery People’s Car, ID.4 slots neatly between the Tiguan and Tiguan Allspace in size. It rides on VW’s MEB modular electric platform to deliver short overhangs and more than adequate interior room.
Aimed at a global audience, ID.4 also disposes of the so-far default electric car habit of ridiculous styling. It presents an albeit quite different, yet sober look. Clearly slippery it also has an impressive 0.28cD drag coefficient.
A SELECTION OF MODELS
ID.4 will ultimately come in a selection of several battery capacities, motor outputs and drive options. The starting point is this 150kW 310Nm permanently synchronous motor rear-wheel drive model with a 77 kWh battery. It’s good for 0-100km/h in 8.5 seconds, a speed limited 160km/h and has a sailing mode.
It has a 520km driving range. Recharge options include 125kW DC station fast charging. Or the choice of three different specification 11kW home wallbox home ID.Chargers
Expected to cost significantly less than its Tesla Model Y rival, ID.4 comes with IQ 3D LED matrix headlights and a choice of dynamic welcome lighting designs. The spacious electric car offers plenty of storage space including a pair of XL cup holders under a large panoramic glass roof.
ID.4 IS KNOB & BUTTON FREE
There’s fully digital instrumentation with an augmented reality heads-up display. New Hello ID voice-control touch-sensitive knob and button-free multimedia comes in a choice of large screen sizes.
ID.4 gets adjustable dampers networked with an electronic differential lock and progressive-rate steering. Standard assistance systems include acoustic parking, lane keeping and emergency brake assistants and distance control with traffic sign recognition and navigation data input.
ID.4 joins the mushrooming selection of electric cars in first-world markets spurned on by mooted future ICE sales bans in those markets. How and when those all fit into third world markets like ours, where supply of charge electricity remains dubious at least, remains to be seen…
