Momentum - November 2020 - 16

TODAY'S

ENGINEERING

VOLKSWAGEN REVEALED ITS 2021 ID.4
ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) on September
23, the brand's first-ever dedicated EV
for the U.S. market. The ID.4 is the initial
model in an eventual family of ID
vehicles as VW begins its corporate shift
to a lineup reliant completely on electric
propulsion. The ID.4 goes on sale in the
U.S. in the first quarter of 2021 at a
starting price, before a federal tax
incentive, of $39,995.
In a conference call with media
following the ID.4's introduction, Scott
Keogh, CEO, Volkswagen Group of
America, said the company is keenly
aware of price as a chief factor for U.S.
consumers to consider an EV-thus the
launch version of ID.4 being fitted with
just a single drive motor for the rear axle
and a 82-kWh lithium-ion battery pack
that provides a comparatively modest
maximum range of 250 miles (402 km).
"Price point for us was critical," Keogh
said, noting that the average price for
EVs sold in the U.S. market currently is
about $55,000. "We've seen EV success
if you hit the [compelling] price point."
The ID.4 is being marketed as a SUV,
however, and he conceded that many
SUV customers seek all-wheel drive.
Keogh promised an AWD variant of the
ID.4 will launch "quite soon" after the
rear-drive model. "We know what the
segment wants," he said, adding that
although the ID.4 is launching with rearwheel drive in an effort to keep pricing
as low as possible, the upgrade to AWD
will be "similar to the premium" VW
charges for its conventional 4Motion
AWD system. For 2021 internalcombustion models, the charge for
4Motion ranges from $1,300 to $1,900.
Initial ID.4 models will be imported
from VW's Zwickau assembly plant in
Mosel, Germany. Starting in 2022, VW
said in a release, U.S. ID.4 production
will be sourced from the company's
assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.,
and the plant will build a "localized

16 November 2020

Volkswagen

2021 ID.4 IS VOLKSWAGEN'S FIRST
U.S.-MARKET DEDICATED EV

The ID.4 launches in the U.S. in rear-drive, 82-kWh battery configuration.
version" of the ID.4 with pricing starting
around $35,000.
Keogh said the ID.4's battery supplier
is SK Innovation (SKI) and that the U.S.built ID.4's battery cells will be sourced
from SKI's new production facility in
Commerce, Ga. The 82-kWh battery
pack for the rear-drive ID.4 is comprised
of 288 cells arranged in 12 modules
housed in an aluminum structure
between the chassis side rails. He was
not specific when answering questions
about ID.4s with larger battery packs
- such as for the AWD model - but did
say SKI already produces cells for 55kWh and 62-kWh configurations,
suggesting the less-expensive U.S.-built
model may be fitted with one of those
lower-capacity battery sizes.
Borrowing one beloved customer
perk from Tesla-the company Keogh
said effectively isn't a direct
competitor-the ID.4 comes with three
years of fast charging from VW
subsidiary Electrify America. The ID.4 is
fitted with an 11-kW onboard charger for
ac recharging or dc fast-charging. At a

dc charger with 125-kW capability, the
company said the ID.4 can recharge
from 5% of battery capacity to 80% in
roughly 38 minutes. The traction motor
for the rear-drive ID.4 generates 201 hp
(150 kW) and 288 lb-ft (390 N-m).
When the ID.4 is fitted with AWD, it will
develop 302 hp (225 kW), the company
said.
In a release, VW said the ID.4 "sits
squarely in the middle of the compact
SUV segment, size-wise." At 180.5 in
(4585 mm) overall, it is 4.6 in (117 mm)
shorter overall than the company's
Tiguan, while the ID.4's wheelbase is just
0.9 in (23 mm) shorter than the Tiguan's
108.9-in (2766-mm) between axles. The
ID.4's height is 64.4 in (1636 mm), 1.9 in
(48 mm) lower than Tiguan.
Although its battery pack is encased
in aluminum, the ID.4's body and chassis
are steel, VW said. The front suspension
is a strut arrangement with lower control
arms and an anti-roll bar. The rear
suspension is a multilink design. n
By Bill Visnic, editorial director,
SAE Mobility Media

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Momentum - November 2020

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