VW shows compact EV model with 57 kWh battery and target price of more than 20,000 euros
Volkswagen has unveiled the ID.Life, a study model for a compact electric car. The company aims to actually release such a car in 2025. The starting price will be between 20,000 and 25,000 euros and the vehicle must have a battery pack with a capacity of 57 kWh.
This ID.Life is to be a new model in the ID. car range from the German car manufacturer. An exact price is not mentioned. Based on the European WLTP standard, the 57 kWh battery should enable a range of approximately 400 km. The ID.Life will be built on a smaller variant of Volkswagen’s MEB platform. This platform, specifically intended for electric cars, forms the basis of the larger ID.3 hatchback, among other things.
The ID.Life is to be launched on the market in 2025 with an electric motor with a capacity of 172 kW. This allows the car to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds. Volkswagen says little about the exact payload, but the car could add up to 163 kilometers of range after ten minutes of charging at a fast charging station.
The manufacturer refers to the front-wheel drive study model as a compact crossover. According to the manufacturer, the ID.Life is mainly characterized by sustainability, digital technology and an innovative interior. The current study model is mainly intended to ‘look ahead at the possible looks of the car’.
With regard to sustainability, Volkswagen does not only refer to electrification, but also to the materials chosen. For example, the material for the roof and the engine cover consists of one hundred percent recycled PET bottles. Furthermore, for example, biomass-based lacquer and wood chips are used as natural coloring agents.
In terms of design, it is striking that the roof will be removable. Presumably that means the addition of extra weight to make the body a bit stiffer, but Volkswagen does not say anything about the weight of the ‘lightweight roof’ or the entire car. The concept model has no mirrors; which are being replaced by cameras and a screen to display the images. The hexagonal steering wheel contains a touchscreen to control a number of important, undisclosed driving functions.
The interior must be easy to convert into a cinema or game lounge, including an undisclosed game console, projector and projection screen. This screen will come out of the dashboard and other devices can also be connected to the existing power supply. Furthermore, the front seat can be completely folded down and in combination with the folding rear seat there are various options, such as creating a bed of about two meters or increasing the trunk space.