There’s a lot to like about the Volkswagen ID 1. In an age when cars are forever growing bigger, here’s a proper city car that's right-sized and looks great.
A mainstream car brand committing to the A-segment is something to celebrate.
But there’s one big concern: with a promised range of “at least” 155 miles, it’s possible the ID 1 will go on sale in 2027 with basically the same range as offered by later versions of its spiritual predecessor, the e-Up. That doesn’t feel like progress.
To be fair, the ID 1 promises to be larger, more practical, more powerful and around £3000 cheaper than a new e-Up would have set you back in 2023 (and the e-Up benefitted from a government grant). Those are hard-won gains, and they haven’t been easy. Still, it’s a stark illustration of how making affordable electric cars is a huge challenge.
EV batteries are slowly – glacially – getting cheaper, but they remain by far the most expensive part of a new EV.
Volkswagen was determined to hit its €20,000 (£17,000) target for the ID 1, and the best way to do that is to right-size the battery for its intended urban use case.
Trouble is, that requires buyers to accept a potentially unpalatable compromise. A range of 155 miles might be fine for the everyday, but what about those occasional weekend trips away?
History suggests buyers are unlikely to compromise with their main or only car.
It’s concerning that, like the Renault Zoe, Nissan Leaf and e-Up in the early days of mass-market EVs a decade or so back, the likes of the ID 1 and Dacia Spring could find most success as budget second cars – a daily runaround that allows you to keep your bigger, posher car for the weekend.
Which is great, but that means instead of widening access to electric mobility, the new wave of cheap EV is really providing further benefit to more affluent buyers who can afford two cars. Single-car owners on a budget who don’t want to compromise will stick with petrol.
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Battery costs are ‘glacially’ getting lower? They dropped by 90% from 2008-2023! ($1415 per kw/h down to $139 per kw/h).
This being the case, 155 miles is now then enough if you can charge at home. way more than the average UK daily trip.
I see them everywhere and have friends that use their Ups for long journey's all the time. Until now getting a small car often meant compromising on space, equipment, performance and refinement, but never the freedom to travel wherever you want. But small EVs are now forcing that compromise. I understand the issues over battery cost and weight in a small car, and hopefully there will be larger battery options. But invariably they'll be more expensive, whereas a base ICE city car will travel just as far as the top of the range model. As battery tech improves, this will become less of an issue but we're not there yet.
Progress lol it's a VW so no. It's a boring block on wheels.