Volkswagen ID.3 hatchback vs. Tesla Model 3 range comparison and more.

VW’s ID.3 pre-orders cross 15,000 – Range comparison with Tesla Model 3

Volkswagen is practically entering the electric vehicle arena this year with their recently introduced new electric car, the ID.3 — yes the hatchback you see in weird wavy camouflage in the above and below photos released by the German automotive giant.

VW ID.3 will be officially launched in all its glory at the 2019 IAA auto show in September — but for the first time, Volkswagen Group started taking pre-orders for a €1,000 fee through their online pre-booking website — only available in select 29 European countries as of now including Norway, Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK, and Austria.

According to Volkswagen, they have received more than 15,000 pre-orders for the ID.3 electric hatchback which is the more expensive version of the car they have named ‘ID.3 1st Edition’ — starting price of the ID.3 1st is just under €40,000, the cheaper less than €30,000 variants will be launched later this year.

Volkswagen aims to produce only 30,000 ID.3 1st limited edition EVs with exclusive features like a full panoramic glass roof,  larger wheel rims, bi-colored exterior, etc.

VW’s YouTube channel has been spurring a series of short teasers the company’s ID.3 electric car, we have featured one below to spice up things and get you excited about EVs in the footsteps of Volkswagen (story continues after the video).

VW ID.3 1st – Variants, Battery Packs, Range, Features

Although not everything is revealed about the ID.3 1st edition, VW has released some bits and pieces of information about the range, battery packs, and features — VW is initially offering 3 variants of the ID.3 1st — the ID.3 1st, ID.3 1st Plus, and ID.3 1st Max, the currently known options and features are presented in the table below.

OptionsID.3 1stID.3 1st PlusID.3 1st Max
Battery Pack58 kWh58 kWh58 kWh
Range420 km (261 miles)*420 km (261 miles)420 km (261 miles)
Colors4 colors (unannounced)4 colors and Bi-Color exterior optional4 colors and Bi-Color exterior optional
Voice CommandIncludedIncludedIncluded
Navigation SystemIncludedIncludedIncluded
IQ.Light LED Matrix HeadlightsNoYesYes
Panoramic Glass RoofNoNoIncluded
* All-electric range based on the much optimistic WLTP standard.

The base variant of the Volkswagen ID.3 which might go on for sale starting sometime next year will have most of the above-mentioned premium options trimmed off but the under €30k price tag would enable a larger customer base to afford a locally made electric car instead of importing the Tesla Model 3 from the United States.

Volkswagen claims that they have already built 200 pre-production ID.3 vehicles at their Zwickau plant in Saxony, Germany — the VW Zwickau plant is capable of producing 330,000 vehicles per year and it is going under a complete transformation to produce pure electric vehicles — this factory will output 100,000 ID.3s a year according to a Volkswagen press release.

Dr. Herbert Diess, CEO of the Volkswagen Group said in a statement:

It’s my firm conviction that Germany as an automotive location must also lead the way when it comes to electric mobility. That’s why we’re deliberately converting the Zwickau plant into the largest and most efficient e-car site in Europe. It’s impressive to see what efforts the team is making to help achieve that transformation. Zwickau can become a model for transformation in our industry.

Tesla Model 3 vs. Volkswagen ID.3 Range and Features

Volkswagen has introduced the ID.3 in direct competition to the Tesla Model 3, both of these electric cars aim to become the mass market EVs.

While Tesla Model 3 has already established wide acceptance and demand in Europe, the VW ID.3 besides the 15k pre-orders still need to prove itself on the road and impress the masses in practicality.

As we can see in the table above Volkswagen has introduced the mid-range (58kWh) battery pack for the ID.3 1st edition models the German automaker intends to bring a standard range (45 kWh) and a long range (77 kWh) battery-pack options later on.

Let’s see how these three battery and range options stack up against the Tesla Model 3 in the following table:

*  Mobile users can swipe the table left-right or rotate device horizontally to view the full tables, AMP users can access full Mobile Version here.

VW ID.3 vs. Tesla Model 3 Range in WLTP

VaritantsVolkswagen ID.3Tesla Model 3
Standard Range45 kWh / 330 km (205 mi)50 kWh (software limited) / 425 km (264 mi)
Mid / SR+58 kWh / 420 km (261 mi)50 kWh / 463 km (288 mi)
Long Range77 kWh / 550 km (342 mi)75 kWh / 599 km (372 mi)
* All-electric range based on the much optimistic WLTP estimates.

The above battery pack/range figures are based on the WLTP cycle that’s more likely not to reflect in real-world testing, @SeanMitchell did a great analysis of the ID.3 and calculated the expected range numbers for the EPA rating that’s more likely work practically, since Tesla Model 3 is already EPA rated we will use the exact numbers for the ID.3 the numbers are estimated/expected (see full video below by Sean Mitchell).

VW ID.3 vs. Tesla Model 3 Range in EPA

VaritantsVolkswagen ID.3Tesla Model 3
Standard Range45 kWh / 264 km (164 mi)50 kWh (software limited) / 354 km (220 mi)
Mid / SR+58 kWh / 336 km (209 mi)50 kWh / 386 km (240 mi)
Long Range77 kWh / 441 km (274 mi)75 kWh / 499 km (310 mi)
* Expect EPA numbers for ID.3 / Rated EPA figures for the Model 3
Aftermarket Tesla Accessories by EVANNEX

Looks like Volkswagen still has a lot of hard work to do in the battery tech development as with smaller battery packs/less number of cells Tesla is able to achieve more range, either it is the cell chemistry or the battery management software that delivers the best outcome Tesla still has an edge in this department.

VW also only offers the full panoramic glass roof on the topmost variant i.e. ID.3 1st Max vs. Tesla Model 3 offers the full glass roof on all the available trims from Standard Range to Performance.

The interior of the ID.3 has also been kept hidden till now so the removal of some infotainment features is expected in lower-end trims while all the Model 3 variants have the same center touchscreen, only a few audio and other features are removed from the Standard Range variants.

While Tesla Model 3 has a full suite of Autopilot cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and a radar, although Volkswagen aims to talk a lot about Level 2 and Level 3 autonomous features at the upcoming 2019 IAA event, the automaker is reluctant to announce any autonomous features for the ID.3 right now.

It remains to be seen how much tough time the Volkswagen ID.3 is able to give to the Tesla Model 3 in its home ground, next horizons will be the Chinese and the United States markets.

Volkswagen ID.3 Photo Gallery

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Iqtidar Ali
[email protected]

Iqtidar Ali reports on the latest happenings at Tesla and Electric Vehicle forefront. With over 1 decade of experience in website development, he's our IT resource as well.


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