As many people know well, in winter electric vehicles often exhibit two problems that cause a drop in driving range. The first is the effect of cold on the battery's "chemistry" itself, and the second is high energy consumption due to the use of the heater and additional heating (steering wheel, seats, mirrors, windshield, etc.). And here is the solution to the latter problem that the company from Wolfsburg has found.
In the new ID.4, Volkswagen has offered an optimized pre-heating system for the car. Its essence is to turn on the heating in advance, while the car is still charging (provided the battery is fully charged) – in this case, the electricity will be taken not from the car's battery but from the power grid. And the key feature here is that owners do not need to run out to the electric car to press the necessary buttons – the system can be activated remotely using the Volkswagen Car-Net app.
In addition to this system, the ID.4 is also equipped with an electric resistive heater for the climate control system, which warms the car much faster than traditional heaters in fuel-powered cars. But if that is not enough, owners can optionally order a heat pump, which consumes 2-3 times less energy compared to the same resistive heater.
It is worth noting that the Volkswagen ID.4 debuted in September 2020. In the minimum configuration, the car produces 200 hp and travels 520 km on a single charge according to the WLTP cycle. The price in Europe is from 39.9 thousand dollars. Deliveries of the new model are expected to begin in the coming months.
