After 3 months of driving my ID3, (incidentally great technology) I feel I must corner VW for two subjects
Transparency: Did I mention WLTP, well I should have: After Dieselgate I would have hoped for strong ethics from VW. So why are they using this totally misleading mileage information to sell electric cars
MY ID3 has a 58KWh battery pack and VW will tell you that the WLTP test gives it a 425 km mileadge. You cannot subcontract responsibility for misrepresentation!
The screenshot from my car after 6507 km of useage shows 58/16.8 * 100 = 345 km, this is continually 85 kms less than this ethically doubtfull misrepresenatation of 425 kms.
Nobody and I mean nobody from VW told me of this mileage shortfall.
Am I alone in this? I openly dare anyone (not paid by VW) to post a screenshot after 6000 km showing 13.6 kWh/100km (425 km range)
Hey I thought, I’ll drive from Paris down to Bordeaux on the motorway. Easy peasy? NO! thanks to VW this proved difficult thanks to their Useless Man – machine interface
Let me tell you a Comedy of Errors
The French motorway system has a network of 350kW charging stations but the VW in car computer doesn’t know and keeps trying to send you into the outback to find an 11kW charging station.
The VW WeConnect app knows about these stations…. but when your phone is connected to your ID3 with apple carplay, the VW in car computer can’t access WeConnect, and nor now can your phone!
Did you plan ahead? of course you did, back to transparency: on the motorway at 130 km/h your ID3 is now using 21.5 kWh/100 kms, yes your range is now 269 kms (somewhat less than 425 kms). It wouldn’t be difficult to provide this information when you buy the car!!!
So if you follow the recommendations:
- Don’t fill the car over 80% charge
- Listen to the lady that tells you to drive into the outback when you approach 20% charge
Then your actual real motorway range is 60% of 269 kms = 161 kms.
For the 528 km trip there that equates to 3 stops for charging each way (at 35 minutes each).
Oh yes and one more thing even with a 350 kW charging system the ID3 does not charge at the car’s limit of 100kWh throughout. Although it did begin at this charging speed, as shown on the right it slowed to 49 kW before the end!
Just got an ID3 
One thought on “Open letter to VW”