One of the newest concept cars from Volkswagen is probably the cheapest entry into the range of electric vehicles from the ID brand.
The ID Life concept, which was presented at the IAA Mobility Conference in Munich over the weekend, is a box-shaped little four-door compact car that is actually more reminiscent of the overly cute Honda E than of its streamlined ID siblings. It won’t hit the market before 2025 (which means we’re probably at least two years away from the final production version), but when it does it will cost around € 20,000, according to VW.
It’s an incredibly aggressive price, and one of two main reasons VW (and the larger Volkswagen Group) spent so many billions of dollars developing the “MEB” modular electric vehicle platform. Being able to power multiple cars at different prices using the same underlying technology allows the automaker to end up charging far less for an even more powerful electric vehicle without taking a full financial dip on the project. (The other reason was Dieselgate.)
Grid view
The ID Life concept will use a 57 kWh capacity version of the MEB battery pack, which VW says can last around 400 kilometers (around 250 miles) in the European WLTP test cycle. A powerful 172 kW motor (around 230 hp) sits on the front axle – the ID Life will be the first MEB car with front-wheel drive – and takes the compact from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour in just under seven seconds.
A lot can happen over the next four years, but those specs are actually better than the current base model of the ID 3, VW’s current entry-level Golf-style model.
The interior of ID Life is sparse. There’s a yoke-style steering wheel with touch-sensitive buttons and there’s no standard dashboard display – instead, VW envisions owners dropping their own phone or tablet on the wooden dashboard and letting those devices run the infotainment system. (There’s also a wireless charging case or pocket in the fabric of the driver’s door.) The back seat is small and the front trunk is tiny too, as the passenger footwell seems to take up a lot of the space under the hood that isn’t taken up by the electric motor.
400km range and 230PS – which would be better than the basic model ID 3
Of course, this wouldn’t be a good concept car without at least one ridiculous idea, which VW conveniently provides in the form of an integrated projector and a projection screen protruding up from the dashboard – the idea is that you could fold down the front seats or watch a movie on the backseat of ID Life Playing video games. (VW even says it includes a video game console, though it doesn’t actually name one.)
After all, VW is promoting the use of many natural and recycled materials with the ID Life concept. In the outer color there are wood chips for coloring. The roof and hood are made from recycled PET bottles. The tires consist of “[b]io oil, natural rubber, and rice hulls. ”These are very popular ideas in concept cars, but recyclable materials are still slow to find their way into production vehicles.
Truly affordable electric cars have been difficult to pin down (at least outside of China). Tesla has spent years promising a $ 35,000 Model 3, but never fully delivered on that promise. (The cheapest cars are now around $ 40,000.) The latest electric mini starts at around $ 30,000, and some other electric vehicles like the Hyundai Kona and Chevy Bolt are approaching that price tag – though those two are also in massive recalls Regarding the LG batteries they are built around. Every major automaker has a new electric car or two (or three) released in the next few years, but VW is probably the best bet for making something as affordable and powerful as it promises with the ID Life.
