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Production of the Volkswagen ID.3 electric car is underway, with formal ordering of the initial batch of ‘ID.3 1ST’ cars set to begin on 17 June 2020

Formal ordering of the Volkswagen ID.3 electric car will begin on 17 June 2020, according to a 5 May Tweet from VW board member Juergen Stackmann. First to be allowed place orders will be those who’ve already reserved one of the ID.3 1ST ‘launch edition’ cars; Stackmann says dealers will be in contact with those customers in the coming days.

It’s not yet clear whether the 17 June date applies to all markets where the ID.3 is initially being sold, or just in its home nation of Germany. DrivingElectric has contacted Volkswagen in the UK for clarification and our story will be updated once we know more.

Earlier in May, the ID.3 secured two accolades in the Automative Brand Contest design competition in Germany. The soon-to-arrive car was named ‘Best of the Best’ in both the exterior and interior categories for car designs from volume brands.

Another Volkswagen ID electric vehicle, the ID. Space Vizzion, came out on top in the concept-car category, while the new Volkswagen Golf was also commended by the judging panel.

Volkswagen ID.3 production
The Volkswagen ID.3 electric car resumed production on 23 April, following several weeks of the company’s Zwickau factory in Saxony, eastern Germany, being closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Production is set to ramp up gradually, with additional measures to protect the health and safety of workers being implemented. Volkswagen also says the restart has been orientated to “the gradual stabilisation of international supply chains”.

“We all have a historic task to accomplish. That task is to protect the health of our employees – and at the same time get business back on track responsibly”, said Thomas Ulbrich, board member for e-mobility and spokesperson for the management board of Volkswagen Saxony.

Initial production volume will be 50 cars per day – around one-third of the factory’s maximum capacity. Measures being adopted to protect employees include rules on distance and hygiene, mandatory wearing of mouth and nose protection in areas where minimum distances aren’t possible, shorter cleaning intervals, the staggering of shifts and employees being asked to take their temperature before starting the work day.

Jens Rothe, chairman of the works council at Volkswagen Saxony, said: “We have reached agreement with the company on new measures to protect employees. We will not be taking any risks, the health of employees has absolute priority – even if it means producing fewer cars.”

Software issue
Earlier in 2020, there was speculation that software issues had caused delays to the early stages of ID.3 production, but the company said at the time that UK customers would still start to receive their cars this summer.

While admitting that the cars would require a software update, it confirmed in a statement that UK delivery timings were unaffected. “The timeline for the ID.3 has not changed. Production of the First Edition began with a very flat start-up curve, rising steadily to market launch this summer,” the statement said.

“Our aim is to deliver 30,000 ID.3 First Editions simultaneously to customers in our pre-booking markets in Europe. The software is installed in the vehicles when they are produced in Zwickau – and will be updated to the latest version in the summer prior to customer handover.”

Production versions of the ID.3 began rolling out of the Zwickau plant in early November 2019. The factory contains 1,700 robots, with driverless transport systems and automated manufacturing technology used throughout the line; it’ll build electric vehicles only from 2021.

Volkswagen ID.3 1ST
The Golf-sized ID.3 will initially launch as a limited-edition ‘1ST’ model that’s already sold out, with 30,000 pre-orders. It’s unclear how many of those have been allocated to the UK, but a waiting list has been set up for those who missed the chance. Formal ordering for those who’ve reserved a 1ST begins on 17 June 2020.

The ID.3 1ST comes with a 58kWh motor producing 201hp at the rear wheels. Acceleration figures haven’t been released, but the ID.3 is engineered for a more leisurely pace with a top speed of 99mph.

Driving more sedately should help the 1ST get near its maximum range of 261 miles. Connected to a fast charger for 30 minutes will give it enough juice for 180 miles. Meanwhile, the car will support two forms of AC charging – 7.2 and 11kW – as well as being compatible with fast charging at up to 125kW using a CCS connector.

Volkswagen is offering ID.3 1ST buyers a year of free charging (up to 2,000kWh) on the fledgling IONITY network, as well as an eight-year/99,000-mile warranty on its battery unit for peace of mind. Following the ID.3 1ST, more versions will launch, offering more battery options including a 45kWh with a range of 205 miles and a larger-capacity 77kWh and a range of 342 miles.

Volkswagen ID.3: details, price and design
Volkswagen is calling the ID “the electric car for the masses”. Prices will start at under €30,000 in Germany, but haven’t been confirmed for the UK yet. However, with the Government subsidy of £3,000, it should come in at around £25,000. This is the first car to be built on the VW Group’s MEB electric-car platform.

Over the next 10 years, the company is planning to build more than 10 million cars and launch 20 standalone electric models. All future models carrying the ID name will be purely electric. Confirmed so far are the ID. Crozz (a sporty SUV) and the ID. Buzz minibus, with an ID. Scirocco coupe still a possibility. The ID.3 name paves the way for a Polo-sized electric supermini called the ID.1, with a small SUV set to use the ID.2 badge. The carmaker says it’ll build 100,000 ID.3s in the car’s first year, with 110,000 to follow each year thereafter.

The ID.3’s design is markedly different from Volkswagen’s other models. Short overhangs, a long wheelbase, flowing surfaces, a unique honeycomb design on the C-pillar, a black glass bootlid surrounded by slim LED lights and a black panoramic roof set it apart. Three alloy-wheel sizes will be available: 18, 19 and 20 inches.

As an electric car doesn’t require large cooling ports, the focal point for the front of the ID.3 are its ‘interactive’ LED matrix headlights. One of the ‘party tricks’ of these lights is that to make the car ‘flutter its eyelids’ when the driver approaches. The headlights also feature Dynamic Light Assist main-beam control, which uses a camera on the windscreen to monitor the road and adjust the lights to avoid dazzling other motorists.

Volkswagen has also announced that the ID.3 will feature the company’s new ID. Light technology, which uses an LED strip in the cabin convey information the driver. It says the ID. Light changes colour to show when the car is switched on and if it’s locked or unlocked. Green indicates a fully charged battery, while red acts as a warning during braking. The LED strip will blink to recommend changing lanes, and also signal incoming phone calls.

The ID.3 is as long as a Golf, at 4.2 metres, and is 1.8 metres wide, 1.5 metres high and weighs 1,700kg. With a turning circle of 10.2 metres, it has been engineered to be easy to drive in urban environments. There’s also a special towing bracket incorporated in the rear bumper of the ID.3 for carrying bikes.

Much more info here

https://www.drivingelectric.com/volkswagen/id3

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