Volkswagen Exec Reveals Specs for Momentous I.D. Hatchback EV

The Volkswagen I.D. will be the company’s first mass-market electric vehicle produced on its modular MEB platform.

byJames Gilboy|
Volkswagen Exec Reveals Specs for Momentous I.D. Hatchback EV
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Volkswagen board of management member Jürgen Stackmann revealed new details about the first EV in the company's anticipated I.D. line via social media on Friday.

The I.D. will be a hatchback whose production-ready body will be revealed in 2019, possibly in the spring, when Stackmann states orders for the model will open. It will be the first of VW's models to pioneer a streamlined ordering process wherein customers select their desired model, its range, its color, and finally any other options, such as a cherry on top. VW was reported in November to be preparing a sub-$23,000 EV for mass production, and given Stackmann's statement that the I.D.'s price will be comparable to a diesel Golf, the I.D. is a candidate for that price point.

Stackmann stated that the I.D. will have an estimated maximum range of 550 kilometers (342 miles) in WLTP testing, though he did not specify which battery would propel the I.D. that distance. VW EV battery capacities reportedly range from 48 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 111, and given that VW plans to build all its first-gen EVs on the same platform, batteries may be completely interchangeable between models. The automaker confirmed that its 111-kWh battery is good for approximately 340 miles of range in the I.D. Buzz Cargo, making that battery almost certainly the one that powers the 342-mile version of the I.D. hatchback.

Similar to Tesla, VW will deploy software updates to its vehicles wirelessly, taking the dealer middleman out of the equation.

A design lead for VW subsidiary Audi told media at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show that it too plans to reveal its concept for a small EV in a couple months' time. It could be then that VW shows off its finalized design for the I.D.—The Drive contacted VW for comment on this possibility, though a spokesperson declined to add to the information shared by Stackmann.

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