This announcement comes on the heels of the launch of the ID. 2all Concept.
This model should have a starting price of less than 20,000 Euros.
Its size should be similar to the current Polo.
Volkswagen is working on 10 new electric models to add to its lineup by 2026 and the now-confirmed ID. 1 will be one of them.
Right after having launched the ID. 2all Concept yesterday, the automaker said that an even smaller and more affordable electric hatchback will be coming to the European market.
This model, currently dubbed ID. 1, will be about the same size as the current Polo from the outside while the ID. 2all, which could be renamed ID. Golf before it reaches production in 2025, is said to be halfway between the Polo and the Golf.
In addition to its smaller size, this new model should also have a smaller price, since it is expected to start under 20,000 Euros (about $29,100 CAD) while the ID. 2all should be priced under 25,000 Euros (about $36,400).
This would make the upcoming ID. 1 one of the most affordable new-generation electric vehicles for sale in Europe.
Volkswagen has admitted that making such an inexpensive EV profitable will be a challenge, but some of the methods it could use to reduce production costs are to employ LFP batteries and target economies of scale.
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) batteries are less expensive and polluting to manufacture than regular Lithium-ion units, but they offer a lower energy density.
This makes them less appealing when used in large or particularly powerful models, but isn’t such a disadvantage in the case of smaller models such as the ID. 1.
Economies of scale could be achieved via the Škoda and Seat branches of the Volkswagen Group since they usually sell restyled versions of VW models. This could help increase the production of the ID. 1 family, which in turn reduces the costs per unit.
Few technical details are known at the moment, but rumours say this model could benefit from around 400 kilometres of range.
As with the ID. 2all and the ID. 3, this future model is unlikely to be offered in the United States and Canada since smaller cars are less popular here, and importing only a limited quantity of each model would make them too costly to be competitive.
Source: Carscoops
