Volkswagen tests ID.3 electric car to prepare for launch

It is reported that Volkswagen has been testing its first electric car ID.3 at its Zwickau plant in Germany and will prepare for full delivery.

At present, the first batch of ID.3 has been delivered to test drivers, who will conduct daily use stress tests on the vehicles. However, in terms of software, the test vehicles have not yet reached the level of mass-produced vehicles.

Volkswagen said that about 150 Volkswagen ID.3 will be tested by Volkswagen employees under real road conditions, and the test mileage is expected to reach hundreds of thousands of kilometers, including daily use performance and practical performance. It is reported that Volkswagen will analyze and evaluate the daily use and driving data of the test vehicles. Volkswagen believes that this move is to simulate the user's car behavior after delivery and to provide additional quality assurance before the ID.3 is officially launched.

Image source: Volkswagen

In the coming weeks, the vehicles will be delivered in stages to employees at Volkswagen's Chemnitz, Dresden and Zwickau plants for testing. Photos released by Volkswagen show that 33 ID.3s have been delivered to employees.

Volkswagen said that when the vehicles were delivered to employees, they were not equipped with the final software version, and the vehicle software will be updated regularly during the testing cycle. Even for the first batch of vehicles to be delivered to customers in September this year, the smartphone connection function App-Connect and the remote control area of ​​the HUD display in the Max device will be temporarily missing. Volkswagen previously stated that at the beginning of delivery, some functions including the automatic parking system will not be available temporarily, and the company will gradually open up software functions through upgrades in the future.

Volkswagen also officially announced that ID.3 will be officially open to the public for pre-order in July, and the first batch of First Edition users can choose between two car delivery times: 1. Delivery in September, but certain functions need to be disabled; 2. Choose delivery in the fourth quarter, but all functions can be unlocked.

In addition, Volkswagen revealed that it will start production of its first electric SUV model based on the MEB platform at its Zwickau plant this year.

According to Volkswagen's plan, all of its models will be available in electric versions by 2022, and the production of electric vehicles will reach 1.5 million by 2025, achieving the goal of zero emissions by 2050. Volkswagen Group plans to invest 33 billion euros in electrification in the future, of which 11 billion euros will be specifically used for the electrification layout of the Volkswagen brand.