VW ID.3 Neo: Charging power will disappoint many

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Volkswagen has no choice: Last year, the fleet consumption limit was exceeded. The company was ultimately only saved from a penalty payment by the fact that the current limit only needs to be met on average between 2025 and 2027. So the giant has to deliver by the end of 2027, and it is doing so. The veil has now been lifted a little, although the innovations are not overwhelmingly surprising.

Watches and smartphones as keys

The ID.3 will become the ID.3 Neo, which in turn will eventually be replaced by the electric Golf. As with the revised Cupra Born, the exterior of the ID.3 Neo will not undergo a dramatic change, as far as can be judged from the first drawings. As with the Born, we expect a bigger step inside. The lining is said to be finer than current, and VW is also working on the controls. This means that in some areas it is going backwards and thus in the right direction. The steering wheel has buttons again, each window regulator has its own switch, and the instrument cluster has a format that no longer resembles a very small smartphone. Mobile phones and watches can potentially be used as vehicle keys.

New infotainment system

Once again, Volkswagen is also touching the hardware in cars based on this platform. The software version will be upgraded to Level 6.0, and the current models with the previous software will likely remain excluded. Volkswagen has named its new infotainment system "Innovision", which is said to have an app store with a significantly expanded range of offerings. Apps from areas such as audio, video streaming, parking, charging, and gaming will be available for download, VW writes. One-pedal driving will be retrofitted, so the ID.3 Neo will now recuperate down to a standstill. VW also claims to have improved the assistants, which are grouped under the term Travel Assist.

Base with LFP battery

Technically, at least the base model will also see some changes. VW is not yet communicating it, but we assume that the ID.3 Neo will also receive the modified powertrain. The electric motor, designated APP350, is said to consume less than the APP310 while having more power. It will have 140 kW and around 350 Nm. At the same time, the cell chemistry will be switched to lithium iron phosphate (LFP). This saves VW a few euros with a virtually unchanged energy content. Previously it was 59 kWh net, now it is 58 kWh. In WLTP, around 430 km can still be expected. If the electric motor is indeed more economical, it will be a few kilometers more.

105 kW DC charging power

Many will likely be disappointed by the maximum DC charging power. When the powertrain was presented for Ford, 110 kW were mentioned, and even that is significantly less than the currently possible 165 kW in the current ID.3 Pro. For the latter, 24 minutes are stated for charging from 10 to 80 percent. This corresponds to an average net charging power of 103 kW in this window. For the new battery, VW provides the following information for the ID.4: 26 minutes for charging from 10 to 80 percent, which results in an average net charging power of just under 94 kW. Despite significantly lower DC charging power, the user does not wait much longer for the approximately 40 kWh because the charging curve is flatter. Of course, this cannot be glossed over: While it is becoming faster with the competition, Volkswagen is doing the opposite.

The new powertrain will also be the basis for the VW ID.4 and ID.5 in the future. It is unlikely to stop there. Distribution to the Skoda Elroq (test) and Enyaq, and the Audi Q4 e-tron is also expected. The previous versions with 52 kWh NMC batteries will be discontinued and replaced by the upcoming top versions of the smaller models. The ability to tap the battery for external consumers will also be rolled out broadly. Up to 3.6 kW should be possible for now, although the configurator suggests much more: the traction battery in the ID.7 (test) is supposed to be able to deliver direct current.

(mfz)