VW ID.Life: First ride with the small electric car

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Thomas Geiger has already moved the small electric car planned for 2025

VW ID.Life: First ride with the small electric car-electric

At the IAA Mobility it was one of the absolute highlights and in 2025 the series version should come onto the market for around 20,000 euros: the VW ID.Life. My colleague Thomas Geiger already drove the car for the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

Above you can see the video including an interview with the VW product manager, a small cockpit overview and first laps on a secret VW test site. We found it interesting that the car can be moved at city speed. The video also shows how the cinema function works.

Even if the body looks like the white parts are made of plastic, it's metal. The white color is not provided by conventional paintwork, but by wood particles. VW is also innovative when it comes to materials. The roof and the gray air chamber mat on the front hood are made from recycled plastic bottles.

Picture gallery: VW ID.Life Concept (2021)

VW ID.Life: First ride with the small electric car-ride

Another highlight: Both the roof and the mat on the front hood can be opened with a zip. This turns the car into a convertible and under the mat comes a frunk with a capacity of 68 liters. An espresso machine, for example, can be stowed in it, as Geiger notes in his article. The electricity for this comes from the battery of the ID.Life, because the car should be able to charge bi-directionally own.

The ID.Life, based on a shortened version of the MEB modular electrical construction kit, is 4.09 meters long and thus roughly the size of a VW Polo – making the car one size smaller than the 4.23 meter long ID.3. This means that the designation ID.2 appears logically. Underneath there would be space for a (then probably even cheaper and even smaller) ID.1.

It remains to be seen whether the series designation is really ID.2. But VW product manager Emily Rietzel at least confirms: "Of course, ID.3 also includes ID.2 and ID.1." With a price of 20,000 euros, the cheapest electric car from Volkswagen will in any case be more expensive than the cheapest VW combustion engine before funding, because an Up is available from around 10,000 euros.

Inside there is a control horn instead of a steering wheel, and instead of a large touchscreen, the cell phone is attached to the dashboard. It is powered by a roughly 170 kW electric motor, which is probably much more than the series version will have.

The electric motor works on the front axle – a novelty, because all previous MEB vehicles had rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. That saves costs because you need a few lines and cooling hoses less, says Geiger. The 57 kWh battery should enable a range of 400 km.

More about ID.Life: VW ID.Life: First ride with the small electric car-small VW ID.Life: Outlook on small electric crossovers

VW ID.Life: First ride with the small electric car-small VW ID.Life vs. Fiat Centoventi: electric cars for the people

Technical data of the VW ID.Life

  • Drive: 1 electric motor at the front with 172 kW and 290 Nm
  • 0-100 km / h / top speed: 6.9 seconds / 180 km / h
  • Battery: 57 kWh net (62 kWh gross)
  • Range: 400 km WLTP
  • Recharge range: 163 km in 10 min
  • Dimensions: 4,091 mm length / 1,845 mm width / 1,599 mm height / 2,650 mm wheelbase
  • Trunk: 410-1,285 liters

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