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Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

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Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#111
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"huge marketing campaign advertising a car that doesn't exist" Perhaps they are trying to gauge the likely success of the car before some final production decisions are made. You do have to wonder how Tesla is going to survive the first surge of practical mass-market electric cars. They definitely are riding some sort of tiger while trying to build out marketshare, technology, infrastructure. My money is on Toyota bu…

Tesla is first to market on a lot of fronts and has the huge first-mover advantage, but you're right, when the competition gets real the easy wins will be over. It has been said -- many times -- that the actual major advantage of Tesla cars is that they get better over time by virtue of their software update process. While many many of the big players (VW, Toyota, Honda, etc.) are going to match specs when it comes t…

> I haven't seen any indications that any of them intend to follow suit with the software.

Indications:

- Some advertising of the UI and the augmented reality displays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPjvgXWA78E

- Platform plans: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2019/09/volkswagen-audi-porsche...

- Associations: https://www.automotivelinux.org/announcements/2019/04/08/vol...

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#112

I'm really excited for more viable electric vehicles. But, the claim that this is the first car for the masses when it's simply 2-3k (~33k to ~35k in USD) cheaper than a Tesla model 3 is discouraging. That said, I do understand that the total cost of ownership does catch up if you keep the car long enough. I would just love to see something in the 20s, or even lower. (Further, I'm very sympathetic to the argument tha…

I feel like everyone overlooks the Chevy Bolt (probably because of all the Tesla hype). At the dealer (w/ bargaining and/or discounts), you can get one for 30k USD. This is before the US federal tax credit, so you'll get some money back.

US dealer networks are hostile in particular to EVs because they undercut one of their two primary revenue pillars: maintenance.

The other pillar is used car sales. I'll never understand why car makers built a sales network fundamentally incented to NOT sell their product.

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#113
post #78

Why do electric cars have such different wheels, almost closed discs style? I still have to see the first Tesla with chrome rims.

Lower air resistance gives longer range. The Tesla Model S has spoked aluminum rims in black. For some reason, nobody customizes them.

Regenerative breaking also means less heat in the breaks I guess, so less need for cooling. Not sure how much that matters tho.

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#114
post #103
post #7

All looks good, but the charging rate seems really slow.

Is there any technical reason for limiting the charge rate unless you pay more? I see this is becoming common now. Even Tesla does it. I'd be willing to settle for the smaller battery as long as charging it was at the same higher rate. Sure, charging sessions are more frequent during long trips, but if you're charging a smaller battery at the same rate then the charging sessions are shorter. So it seems like they're…

The charging rate is related to how many cells the battery pack consists of. Each cell can take a certain charging current, so more cells = higher total current.

If they implement the longer range by adding more cells (which I assume they do), then that's your technical reason.

Of course, could also just be a way to get more money...

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#115
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla is first to market on a lot of fronts and has the huge first-mover advantage, but you're right, when the competition gets real the easy wins will be over. It has been said -- many times -- that the actual major advantage of Tesla cars is that they get better over time by virtue of their software update process. While many many of the big players (VW, Toyota, Honda, etc.) are going to match specs when it comes t…

I would pay for my car to NEVER update without my express approval. That is the definition of "my" - I get to decide how and when it changes. In fact, i think i will do just that. I might pick up one of these ID cars and thus vote with my wallet. I am no EV fanboy, but this one looks like a practical second car fit for simple short-range missions

Can’t you just remove the sim?

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#116
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that’s for a 205mi range (that will be WLTP not EPA so real world will be ~15% lower) on a 45kWh battery back that can only charge at 50kW. Top speed is 99mph, 0-60 is unannounced. The higher priced versions can charge up to 100kW. But frankly, the base model specs seem abysmal?

The base model has a higher range per dollar than an SR+ by a comfortable margin. Abysmal seems like a strong word...? It might not be as fast or sexy as a Tesla, but cars like this will be the bread and butter of the EV transition. 30k EUR - 19% VAT = ~$27,750 USD, or $135 per WLTP mile. SR+ is $38,990 with a range of 254, or $153 per WLTP mile.

I think if you’re going to extrapolate a fictional ID.3 by backing out the VAT, the least you could do is compare against an SR- at $35,000 to get $137. Or alternatively the LR at 348mi WLTP range (+12.25%) for $47,990 = $138.

Of course range per dollar is a funny metric because it’s like saying it’s the only thing you are paying for.

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#117
post #25
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And that’s for a 205mi range (that will be WLTP not EPA so real world will be ~15% lower) on a 45kWh battery back that can only charge at 50kW. Top speed is 99mph, 0-60 is unannounced. The higher priced versions can charge up to 100kW. But frankly, the base model specs seem abysmal?

> 0-60 is unannounced Anybody looking for a mid-range Golf/ID.3 type car (excluding top models like GTI/R/etc.) cares very little about 0-100Km/h times. In the same vein they also didn't announce the Nürburgring lap times. Edit. Also based on the numbers Tesla publishes for the same car the difference between WLTP and EPA is less that 7%. Is it expected that in some cases it varies up to 15%?

254 vs 240mi for SR+ but 348 vs 310mi for the LR.

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#118
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tesla is first to market on a lot of fronts and has the huge first-mover advantage, but you're right, when the competition gets real the easy wins will be over. It has been said -- many times -- that the actual major advantage of Tesla cars is that they get better over time by virtue of their software update process. While many many of the big players (VW, Toyota, Honda, etc.) are going to match specs when it comes t…

I would pay for my car to NEVER update without my express approval. That is the definition of "my" - I get to decide how and when it changes. In fact, i think i will do just that. I might pick up one of these ID cars and thus vote with my wallet. I am no EV fanboy, but this one looks like a practical second car fit for simple short-range missions

> I would pay for my car to NEVER update without my express approval.

In case you were wondering, you opt-in to the updates from Tesla and can totally disable all connectivity if you so choose.

Virtually no one does this, because the upgrades are extremely valuable to Tesla owners and make the car accelerate quicker, brake faster, safer (constantly improving things like AEB and lane departure warning), longer range, more comfortable (suspension upgrades), and better in many other ways from minor usability tweaks (position of the phone icon in the launcher) to major functional upgrades.

OTA updates are also the only responsible way to deliver autonomous functionality.

It’s a huge asset and differentiator for Tesla. That’s not to say it won’t have detractors. E.g. Some people prefer driving stick.

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel like everyone overlooks the Chevy Bolt (probably because of all the Tesla hype). At the dealer (w/ bargaining and/or discounts), you can get one for 30k USD. This is before the US federal tax credit, so you'll get some money back.

Friends comment about his Bolt. It's a car. Thats what I wanted, a car.

Why buy a Bolt, then? Surely cheaper cars exist that can still take you from point A to point B

Re: Volkswagen unveils the ID.3, its first affordable long-range electric car

#120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Friends comment about his Bolt. It's a car. Thats what I wanted, a car.

Why buy a Bolt, then? Surely cheaper cars exist that can still take you from point A to point B

He wanted an electric car. But not anything more than that.
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