ELECTRIC CARS

An atypical update that should correct the mistakes. After only three years, Volkswagen is renewing its ID3 to cure childhood diseases and technological deficiencies – but it also takes the opportunity to refine other things.

When Volkswagen launched ID3, it was an incredibly important step for the manufacturer. It was about more than a new model. It was the car that would wash away the dieselgate stamp and show that they were now betting on electrification in Wolfsburg.

But even though ID3 brought a lot of positive news – there was no chorus of praise. This is largely due to flour product shortages and design choices.

Now, in the spring of 2023, this is to be corrected, however, and VW has now pulled the veil off its updated ID3.

So, what has happened? If we start with the exterior, the front has been sculpted and the bonnet replaced. The latter has now been extended at the expense of the black plastic valk that was otherwise below the windscreen. The result is that the car should look a little slimmer and sleeker – with the advantage that wind resistance is slightly reduced.

If we get into the car, VW says that it has listened to its customers. Proposals have been adopted and examples of where these have been implemented should be that several surfaces are covered in a soft foam-coated screw. The doors have also been rebuilt to have softer and larger surfaces.

In the era of sustainability, all interiors are also completely free of animal elements.

This is certainly good. But the big thing comes later. The updated car has also received a larger center screen, 12 instead of 10 inches, and behind this is now the latest version of the manufacturer’s software.

Software in particular has been a sore point for the manufacturer and in retrospect VW has admitted that not everything was fully developed when it launched ID3. However, it has tried to remedy this by restructuring its development department with the goal of focusing on functions rather than components.

– If the car is increasingly an electrically powered software product, then the development must also “evolve” in all dimensions. Software first, rather than hardware, then development manager Thomas Ulbrich said last year.

Now the infotainment system should be less confusing and, in addition, many functions have been improved. In addition to better system performance, the car has as standard better route planning, plug&charge compatibility and the possibility of bidirectional charging.

But has something else happened to them technically? The ID3 is based on the MEB platform and will be offered with two different battery sizes: 58 and 77 kWh. Nothing new so far. The range should be between 426 and 546 km WLTP (estimated, not type-approved figures). In addition to these, a version with a smaller battery is also planned for the future, however, it is uncertain whether it will come to Sweden.

A welcome news is that in the top version, which is called ID3 Pro S, the fast charging capacity is increased to 170 kW, however, the regular ID3 Pro only gets 120 kW.

Regardless of the size of the battery you choose, the car has an electric motor at the rear that delivers 150 kW /204 horsepower and a torque of 310 Nm.

The start of sales in Sweden is expected to take place during the second quarter with a market launch before the summer – what price? It has not been determined at this time.