German automaker Volkswagen has opened sales for the second model in its ID line-up of electric vehicles, with the ID.4 compact SUV expected to see deliveries begin as soon as March in Europe and China, and from the middle of the year in the United States.
Unfortunately, as was reported in December, VW doesn’t yet have a firm plan for when the ID.3 electric sedan and the ID.4 will be available in Australia, due in large part to the poor “legislative environment” in Australia.
VW announced this week that additional presales of the ID.4 would begin in mid-February in approximately 30 European countries as well as the United States.
This follows the launch of the new ID.4 electric crossover SUV in September, just as the company’s ID.3 began deliveries.
Both the ID.3 and ID.4 are based on VW’s new modular electric drive kit (MEB), the first steps in the company’s larger electrification plan.
Volkswagen is intent on becoming a global market leader in electric mobility and plans to invest more than €11 billion by 2023 and produce 1.5 million electric cars a year by 2025.
VW has already tripled its deliveries of fully-electric vehicles in 2020, albeit off a low base, and with its growing ID family the company is currently a market leader in a number of countries.
Two first edition models of the ID.4 were released last year, but now VW is gearing up to begin delivery of the basic ID.4 model in its major Northern Hemisphere markets – Europe, the United States, and China.
“The ID.4 plays an important role,” said Ralf Brandstätter, Volkswagen Passenger Cars CEO.
“With this model, Volkswagen is expanding its range to include an electric vehicle in the world’s largest growth segment, the compact SUV class. The market launch of our world car is therefore an important strategic milestone for the brand.”
Available with two battery sizes, the ID.4 Pure comes with a 52kWh battery with a range of 348-kilometres, while the ID.4 Pro comes with a 77kWh battery and a range of up to 522-kilometres.
“With the global launch of the ID.4, we will get even more people excited for electric mobility, giving our electric offensive an additional boost,” said Board Member for Sales at Volkswagen Passenger Cars, Klaus Zellmer.
“We hope to deliver well over 100,000 ID.4s to customers this year alone. We have already received 17,000 incoming orders for the vehicle.”
Of these promised 100,000 ID.4 deliveries, VW expects two-thirds to go to Europe, while the remaining third will be split between China and the United States.
But while the Northern Hemisphere will be enjoying one of the most anticipated electric vehicles that we have seen of late, Australia will be ignored due to its regulatory environment and state-specific measures.
VW originally expected that the ID.4 would be its first electric vehicle to be launched in Australia, but in December several outlets reported that the company was no longer eyeing a launch in Australia anytime soon.
Michael Bartsch, Volkswagen Australia’s managing director, was quoted as saying “We really don’t have a definitive answer for you” with regard to the rollout of the company’s EVs in Australia.
“Our expectation at the moment is that we’ll see the ID.3 or ID.4 – whichever one comes first in Australia – in the latter part of 2023. I’m not being deliberately vague on that, it’s simply that we don’t yet have a firm introduction date.”
According to Bartsch, VW’s thinking is to first focus on its Northern Hemisphere markets, but because of Australia’s “legislative environment or whatever it is that you’d like to describe it, here in Australia, there really is no imperative to fast track or drive the EV introductions in Australia.”
VW will reportedly be introducing some EVs into Australia through its sister companies, such as the Audi E-Tron which is already on sale, and it is out of this that the company hopes to “start seeing some … stronger guidelines from the government here.
Because if we see a legislative environment change here in Australia then of course that in itself could add impetus to pull the EV introduction for all manufacturers, not just for Volkswagen, but for everybody.”
Separately, Bartsch also pointed to the “ridiculous” and “crazy” plans of “parochial state treasurers” in South Australia and Victoria to impose mileage taxes on EV owners.
“It’s a tax by stealth,” said Bartsch, speaking in December. “We’re dead against disincentives. This approach of having an EV user tax in South Australia and Victoria but not necessarily in NSW is ridiculous.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.