At present, almost all mass-market car manufacturers in the world are working on electric vehicles, but few possess the realistic ability to challenge Tesla in terms of sales volumes. Volkswagen is one of those remarkable companies.
In the automotive world, electric vehicles are changing dramatically. Although most global car manufacturers are between 50 and 100 years old, they are all trying to catch up with Tesla, a car manufacturing company that governs the global electricity market today. The success of Tesla shows how much it dominated the electric vehicle market with 138,000 vehicles sold in 2018, compared to 92,000 sold by SAIC in second place. At present, almost all mass-market car manufacturers in the world are working on electric vehicles, but few possess the realistic ability to challenge Tesla in terms of sales volumes. Among these companies, Volkswagen is a remarkable company that seems well placed to fight against Tesla in terms of volume and technology.
The Volkswagen Group and the brand itself are working on the development of electric cars with not only improved battery life but an affordable cost, an aspect that has proven to be a hindrance to the adoption of large-scale electric vehicles.
When we talk about the Volkswagen Group, we have to consider a multitude of brands that fall under it – Volkswagen, Skoda, Audi, Porsche and many more. Thus, the group has something as affordable as a Volkswagen Polo to a hypercar, such as the Porsche 918 Spyder, which gives it an edge that ranges from small city cars to offensive tracking machines.
Now, to slip this scenario into electrified cars, the Volkswagen Group owns the ID.3, which is both practical and affordable spectrum, and on the other hand, the Porsche Taycan, which has set a new lap record at the Nürburgring in the four-door EV category in August of this year. The Volkswagen ID.3 and similar future products will likely form the bulk of Volkswagen’s electric car sales volume. ID.3 is currently priced lower than the most affordable Tesla on the market.
The Volkswagen ID.3
In addition to an affordable price, the Volkswagen ID.3 also promises ranges of up to 550 km; an impressive figure is given that it should be able to manage intercity travel easily. The cabin is packed with technologies of comfort and convenience at the height of modernity. For example, all controls, including those of the power steering wheel, are operated using touch functions with touch keys. It also has voice control and Smartphones can be easily connected via App-Connect.
The ID.3 will be available with three battery size options – the basic variant has usable energy of 45 kWh and allows an electric autonomy of up to 330 km (WLTP). The entry price for this version ID.3 is less than 30 000 € (about Rs 23.8 lakh). Besides, there is a 58 kW battery variant that allows the ID.3 to reach a range of up to 420 km (WLTP).
The energy content of the largest battery is 77 kWh and its electric range can reach 550 km (WLTP). Thanks to its fast-charging capacity, VW explains that it is possible to charge the ID.3 sufficiently for a range of about 290 km (WLTP) in 30 minutes, using a charging power of 100 kW. However, Volkswagen expects the medium variant with a range of 420 km to be the most popular.
