New VW Concept for Smart, Energy Efficient Urban Driving
Since all-electric vehicles (EVs) entered the automotive market they have been notorious for their high prices. As neighbouring industries succeed in furthering electric vehicle technology, manufacturers will look to provide EV models for the low-end market.
The next concept EV by Volkswagen is an interesting one. With its futuristic design and the intended use of new digital technologies, the car is likely to appeal to the low-end consumer with a price estimated around €20,000.
An electric vehicle for urban mobility
The concept marks the development of an all-electric vehicle that will be suitable for urban motoring. The ID. LIFE is a more compact vehicle that will reflect the high quality build of the Volkswagen brand.
The ID. LIFE is our vision of next-generation fully electric urban mobility. The concept car provides a preview of an ID. model in the small car segment that we will be launching in 2025, priced at around 20,000 euros. This means we are making electric mobility accessible to even more people’, says Ralf Brandstätter, Chief Executive Officer of the Volkswagen brand. ‘In creating the ID. LIFE, we have consistently focused on the needs of younger customers. We believe that, even more so than today, the car of the future will be about lifestyle and personal expression. The customer of tomorrow won’t simply want to get from A to B; they will be much more interested in the experiences that a car can offer. The ID. LIFE is our answer to this’.
Energy efficiency in a compact design
The car may be small, but it packs a highly efficient, compact version of Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB), which benefits from a 57kWh high-voltage battery and an electric motor that produces 172kW—allowing a range of 400km (around 250-miles) per charge.
Thomas Ulbrich, a member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management for Development, talks more about the company’s unique MEB design. ‘The ID. LIFE proves once again how uniquely flexible the MEB is. The platform is suitable for vehicles of all types, from small cars to vans’, says Ulbrich. ‘It’s the most scalable electrical architecture in the industry. We’re just beginning to tap into the potential of MEB. Performance, charging capacity and range will continue to improve with each new model and software update’.
Read more about the Volkswagen ID. LIFE concept here.
For further energy insights, check out the latest issue of Energy Digital Magazine.