Volkswagen setting off into the E-era
With the ID.3, Volkswagen aims to achieve nothing less than a revolutionary turn in its product strategy. With its position in the mainstream market for compact vehicles, the new electric car could even knock the Golf off the throne, the vehicle manufacturer’s long-standing profit maker. The technical data of the ID.3 is quite similar to that of the Golf in many respects like size, transport capacity and performance. Equipped with three different battery options between 48 and 82 kWh, the ID.3 offers maximum ranges between 330 and 550 km according to the WLTP standard. However, the price of 30,000 euros upwards is still slightly above the golf level.
by Volkswagen group companies like Audi or Skoda –
Volkswagen plans to open it for licensees from outside the group.
The vehicle has a rear-wheel drive via a synchronous machine located on the rear axle with an electrical output of up to 150 kW (204 hp). Optionally, the ID.3 can be equipped with an all-wheel drive. An additional asynchronous motor on the front axle is used for this purpose, which provides a further 75 kW.
The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery is charged via an onboard charger with a maximum output of 11 kW. The maximum output at CCS charging stations will initially be 100 kW; later all variants of the car will also be able to be charged at 125 kW.
The electronics in the vehicle run under VW’s own software environment called VW.OS, which however is more than just a normal operating system. VW.OS is a software platform for all ECUs. The IT architecture is based on a few domain computers with a uniform programming language. VW.OS will gradually be used in all vehicles of the VW Group (Audi, Bentley, Porsche, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen), and the software basis will also be placed on a uniform basis. The entire electronics (driver assistance systems, engine controls, head unit, etc.) are connected to the backend system Volkswagen Automotive Cloud, which is based on Microsoft Azure.
the vw.os software platform that later will
power all Volkswagen group cars.
Volkswagen has invested 1.2 billion euros in the production of the ID.3 and completely rebuilt its plant in Zwickau (Saxony). 8000 employees and 1700 robots are to build the ID.3 and other electric models of the Volkswagen Group there in the coming years.
Deliveries, however, will not start until summer 2020. Volkswagen has already received 35,000 orders. The capacity is initially designed for 100,000 units per year, and is expected to grow to 330,000 units next year. To this end, a second assembly line is to be commissioned as early as April 2020. What’s more, the company is currently converting two of its plants in China to the production of electric vehicles. The obvious goal is to overtake the current top dog Tesla. The two plants in China will have a production capacity of 600,000 units per year. Volkswagen plans to commission a total of eight factories worldwide for vehicles based on the MEB platform. MEB is a uniform modular system for electric vehicles that is intended to reduce production costs and at the same time enable a high number of variants.
Related articles:
VW to open its e-car platform to competitors
Ford, Volkswagen in R&D alliance on e-mobility, Artificial Intelligence
Volkswagen shifts to next gear in electromobility race
Electric and digital: Audi sketches its technological future
Volkswagen’s ID concept car: Electric and – later – autonomous
Pure electric vehicles are the future, says IDTechEx
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
