The
new Volkswagen ID.3 has set its first range record: The electric car covered
the 531 kilometers from Zwickau to Schaffhausen (Switzerland) on a single
charge. Officially, the model has a range of up to 420 kilometers (WLTP).
This
mark was topped by more than 100 kilometers – an increase of 26 percent. The
vehicle was a series production ID.3 1st Pro Performance with a 58 kWh battery
built at the Zwickau electric car factory. The route to Switzerland consisted
entirely of public roads and highways, passing cities such as Bayreuth and Ulm.
The record-breaking vehicle was driven by “hypermiler” Felix Egolf, a native of
Switzerland. The term “hypermiling” originated in the USA and refers to driving
a series production vehicle with techniques that maximize efficiency and
minimize consumption.
“This
car has everything, it is compact but spacious, has a cool, almost futuristic
design and a low drag coefficient”, Egolf said after arriving in Schaffhausen.
Although the record-breaking journey is not entirely comparable with day-to-day
trips, it nevertheless underpins the everyday practicality of the ID.3.
“With
its high-volt battery, efficient drivetrain and fast charging capability, even
long journeys are not a problem”, said Reinhard de Vries, Managing Director
Technology and Logistics at Volkswagen Sachsen. “This is also a strong message
for the team in Zwickau and for the entire ID. Team,” he added.
Apart
from the technology, the race to break records depends above all on an
economical driving style. Felix Egolf constantly lifted off the accelerator and
let the ID.3 coast. On the highway sections of the journey, he sometimes used
the slipstream of trucks travelling in front of him. The weight, on the other
hand, was not ideal: The additional weight of the cameraman plus technical
equipment took the total payload to around 250 kilos. In addition, auxiliary
consumers such as navigation, daytime running lights, radio and ventilation
were either temporarily or permanently in operation. Nevertheless, power
consumption was a mere 10.9 kWh/100 km. The standardized consumption rating of
the ID.3 is 15.4-14.5 kWh/100 km.
Around
44 percent of the record journey was on highways and 56 percent on country
roads. Average speed was 56 km/h. Felix Egolf completed the journey from
Zwickau to Schaffhausen in roughly nine hours. The vehicle that clocked up the
record was a manganese grey ID.3 1st Pro Performance with a 58 kWh battery and
204 PS. The ID.3 is built at the Zwickau electric car factory and is the first
member of Volkswagen’s all-electric ID. family. The plant in Saxony plays a key
role in the system changeover to e-mobility: For the first time, a large car
manufacturing plant is being entirely converted to e-mobility, with investments
running at some Euros 1.2 billion. All conversion work will be completed as
scheduled this year. In 2021, the first full production year as an EV factory,
some 300,000 electric vehicles based on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB)
will leave the Zwickau plant. The site will therefore become the largest and
most efficient EV factory in Europe and a trailblazer in the transformation of
Volkswagen’s global production network.