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Volkswagen’s first dedicated electric vehicle will go on sale this summer, with a range of up to 342 miles and a base-price of around £23,000
Volkswagen’s first dedicated electric vehicle, the ID.3, will go on sale in summer this year. In Germany, prices will start from €30,000, which translates to around £23,000 in the UK once the Government’s £3,500 plug-in car grant has been applied. Volkswagen says the car will be around £800 cheaper than an an equivalently specced petrol or diesel Golf.
Volkswagen’s most recent electric vehicles, (the e-Golf and the e-Up!), are both based on combustion-engined platforms. However, the ID.3 marks the debut of the brand’s all-new MEB platform – a bespoke pure-electric platform that will soon underpin dozens of electric vehicles from Volkswagen, SEAT, Skoda and Audi.
• Volkswagen ID.3 vs. Volkswagen e-Golf
The ID.3 will be launched in a single, limited-run “1st Edition” specification. Each example will feature a rear-mounted 201bhp electric motor and 58kWh battery pack, which Volkswagen says will provide a range of between 186 and 261 miles.
Global production of the ID.3 “1st Edition” will be limited to just 30,000 units – and all of them have already been reserved, including those allocated for the UK market. British buyers should expect to get their vehicles this summer, around the same time that the rest of the ID.3 range goes on sale.
The standard-issue, entry-level ID.3 will feature a less powerful 148bhp electric motor and a smaller capacity 45kWh battery, for a range of between 143 and 205 miles. Volkswagen’s 201bhp electric motor will also be offered with a 77kWh battery in higher-specced models, allowing the ID.3 to cover between 242 and 342 miles before recharging.
Mid- and higher-spec ID.3s will offer support for 100kW fast charging as standard, which will allow around 180 miles of range to be added in half an hour. However, the uprated charging system will be offered as an optional extra on the entry-level model, in a bid to keep down the sticker-price. As such, it’ll stick with a 50kW charger.