The electric revolution may be coming to South Africa at a slower rate than seen in other countries, but the fact remains that it is still well and truly on the way. When a market leader like Volkswagen builds a car that it refers to as the next Golf in terms of its importance, you can imagine just how high the brand's hopes have been for the ID.3.
As a group, Volkswagen has stated that it contributes 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions on an annual basis and has subsequently committed itself to be more carbon-neutral from a production and vehicle emissions perspective. The gradual replacement of traditional vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) is the brand's key strategy to remain profitable while meeting ever more stringent emissions regulations.
There were three ID.3 models at a recent media event and we had a chance to sample one for a few laps around Zwartkops Raceway.
Euro 7 looming large
Looking at Volkswagen's recent presentation on its staggered and relaxed introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) into the South African market, we now better understand the German operation's approach to new energy vehicles in South Africa. With many parts of Europe and other areas of the world committing to the reduction of CO2 emissions, there is a strong push towards selling fewer internal combustion engine-powered cars as brands need to adhere to a new 95 g/km CO2 limit that is set to come into effect with the Euro7 emissions laws in a few years time.
"That won't affect South Africa," we hear you say, but it most certainly will as most of the vehicles sold locally are European spec and we need to adhere to Euro7 regulations. This is problematic for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles as engineering ICE vehicles to that low a CO2 figure becomes expensive, and with increased production of EVs, this is where Volkswagen envision the EV products surpassing the ICE products from a total cost perspective, should our government eventually relax the taxation on EVs locally, of course.
Many countries have different commitments to EVs, with the likes of Norway to stop selling new ICE vehicles by 2025 while the same is true of many others by 2030, 2035 and 2040, however, the recent Green Paper signed in South Africa has a target set at 2050, meaning that we are nearly 30 years away from a full electrified future, should things go to plan. It is therefore important that South Africa becomes EV savvy and begin producing hybrid and EV vehicles locally for export markets to create a robust and future-proof automotive sector.
Tell me about the ID.3
The ID.3 is the brand's first product to be built on the so-called MEB architecture which sits alongside the MQB platform used for small and medium-sized products with internal combustion engines. At 4 621mm long, 1 809mm wide, 1 552mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2 765mm, the ID.3 is similar to a Golf in terms of dimensions but feels more capacious and airy inside versus its more traditional stablemate. There is a more basic ID.3 Pro variant available with a 58 kWh battery pack, but we drove a Pro S version of the car, which features a 77 kWh battery, providing 160kW and 310Nm of torque sent through the rear wheels and offers a claimed 550km of driving range on a single charge. Speaking of charge, the product has a maximum AC charging speed of 11kW and a 125kW for DC charging which will allow for 290km of charge to be put back into the system in 30 minutes. There is no official plan to bring the ID.3 to the local market, nor is there a proposed price point, however, the brand has confirmed that the more Tiguan-esque ID.4 will be making its way to local shores in the not too distant future.
Driving ID.3
We had a chance to complete four laps of the iconic Zwartkops Raceway in an ID.3, granted, not the car's stomping ground, but a great test of acceleration, braking and how the car copes with its relatively hefty 1 800kg-or-so body weight. As is to be expected, the acceleration of the ID.3 is instant, best described as swift silence that pushes you back in your seat before waining as the speed increases. While the car's centre of gravity is low, you are always reminded of its weight, particularly when changing direction at high speed, however, when not driven in anger, it is wonderfully quiet and peaceful to operate, with a simple, airy cabin with reasonable material quality.
The idea that kept entering our minds as we drove the car was how normal it seems to become within a few minutes of operating it. We wonder if this is how people felt when they stepped out of a Bettle and first drove an MK1 Golf in the mid-1970s. Regardless of how you view EVs, the ID.3 is undeniably impressive as a tool for personal mobility and one of the very first truly affordable all-electric vehicles to offer meaningful range in a practical and well-built package.
