Volkswagen’s ID.3 is ushering in a new era for the company, with the launch of the electric-only ID. sub-brand. The MEB platform that underpins the ID.3 is going to feature widely on electric models across the VW Group, so Volkswagen’s approach is a forecast as to how the German brand and its group stable-mates will get on in the next generation of electric cars.
There is one configuration available:
The 260-mile official range from the VW ID.3 is class leading, with really only two family-sized hatchbacks – in the shape of the Nissan Leaf and Hyundai Ioniq Electric – available as challengers. The Leaf e+ has an official range of 239 miles, whilst the Hyundai’ s smaller battery sees a range of a little under 200 miles quoted. Granted, the Kia e-Niro is available with a range of almost 300 miles on a charge, but it’s a crossover rather than a conventional hatchback.
What is encouraging too is that the official range is pretty realistic. At the end of my time with the car, I reckoned on a range of 249 miles over a variety of driving routes. That covers urban, countryside and motorway work, all during chilly weather, so drivers should feel confident in VW’s claims for the ID.3’s driving range.
The brake energy recuperation system allows for drivers to opt between D and B settings, the latter providing strong brake energy recuperation.
However, ‘one-pedal’ driving – where the energy recuperation deals with just about all of the EV’s braking requirements – will take a serious amount of concentration in real-world conditions. It’s curious since some other EVs allow for this, and the previous mid-sized electric hatchback from VW – the e-Golf – had a flexible and highly effective multi-setting system for maximum efficiency. The ID.3’s means there’s less for the driver to do, but equally the ID.3’s regeneration will ultimately prove less efficient. Considering the quoted range and the accuracy of it in day-to-day driving, this will put few buyers off I’m sure.
This is carried out via a CCS inlet, and VW ID.3 drivers can recharge at up to 11 kW on AC units or 100 kW on ultra-rapid DC points. On the fastest points, VW quotes a top up of 180 miles of driving range in 30 minutes, and from most public and home points, the ID.3 will take around eight hours for a charge from almost empty.
