Volkswagen’s ID.3 hatchback cracks 500km EV range

Volkswagen’s ID.3 electric car has travelled 531 kilometres on a single charge, exceeding its official WLTP range by more than 100 kilometres.

The Golf-sized all-electric hatchback, which is already available to order in Europe, journeyed from Zwickau in Germany (where it’s built) to Schaffhausen in Switzerland without a stop for charging.

All very clever, but the series production 150kW ID.3 1^stPro Performance model with 58 kWh battery was piloted by a “hypermiler” called Felix Egolf. Egolf? Now there’s a man who was destined to work on electric Volkswagens.

A “hypermiler” is someone who drives a car with techniques to maximise efficiency and minimise consumption. Not a chap who’s heavy on the throttle, basically.

Positively, Egolf’s ID.3 was driven entirely on public roads and highways, making the test more real-world relevant than Hyundai’s recent Kona EV achievements. Here, three drive teams each managed to drive over 1000km on a single charge (despite the Kona’s WLTP range of 450km), but under controlled conditions on a German race track.

Richard de Vries from Volkswagen’s Technology and Logistics department in Sachsen admitted the journey was “not entirely comparable with day-to-day trips.” Egolf’s technique involved constantly lifting off the accelerator and letting the car coast. Similar to beige Toyota Camrys near the bowls club on a Sunday morning.

The cheeky Egolf also admitted to slipstreaming trucks travelling in front of him on highway sections of the journey.

On the other hand, we’re told there was an extra 250kg in the ID.3 during its test due to the additional weight of a cameraman plus some technical equipment.

Also, and unlike the aforementioned Kona EV test, the likes of navigation, daytime running lights, radio and ventilation were “either temporarily or permanently in operation.”

The final figures showed a power consumption of just 10.9 kWh/100km, while the ID.3’s rating is 15.4-14.5 kWh/100km. 

Never one to shy away from exact figures, the German and Swiss team revealed 44 percent of the journey was on highways and 56 percent on country roads, with an average speed of 56km/h. The trip took roughly nine hours, but there’s no report stating if Egolf was allowed to stop for comfort breaks.

Volkswagen announced last month it had received over 30,000 pre-order for its ID.3 across Europe, with first deliveries expected this October. In Germany the ID.3 1^stPro Performance, which hits 100km/h in 7.3-seconds, costs from 35,575 Euros ($58,400).

In the UK, a higher-specification ID.3 1st Edition costs from £38,880 ($71,000) before any government grant is applied.

The ID.3 isn’t expected in Australia until at least 2023, but the ID.4 SUV is slated to arrive beforehand, probably also in 2023, with an expected starting price of around $50,000.