Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV to launch in 'matter of weeks'

Volkswagen has released fresh teaser images of the upcoming ID.4 electric SUV. The company has confirmed that the electric SUV, part of the carmaker's electric offensive, will be launched in a 'matter of weeks'.

A press release issued by the company said, "In a matter of weeks, Volkswagen will reveal the production version of the ID.4 electric SUV, part of a worldwide strategy to deliver millions of electric vehicles to help combat global climate change."

The company also said that in the United States, EV supplies have mostly been limited either to specific states or to luxury vehicles. Volkswagen aims to change that starting with the ID.4 electric compact SUV, the first of a line of EVs it plans to launch in the United States over the next several years. "These vehicles will be what Volkswagens have always been – affordable and fun to drive," said the statement.

The Volkswagen Group has pledged to make its global business carbon neutral by 2050, and electric vehicles will help make that possible. By 2025, the Group plans to build about 1.5 million electric vehicles a year worldwide – including at its US factory in Chattanooga.

Volkswagen also said that the ID.4 electric SUV will come with a Level 1 charger that plugs into a standard three-prong, 120-volt outlet. However, if a customer has a driveway or a permanent parking place can get a Level 2 charger installed at home.

Level 2 chargers are the most common; they run off 240-volt circuits and can add about 12-25 miles per hour of charge. Most charging is either Level 1 or 2, and about 80 percent of all vehicle charging takes place at home.

There are about 59,000 public Level 2 CCS chargers available in the United States, along with about 2,500 CCS DC fast chargers, and more are being built.

Volkswagen Group had unveiled ID.4, the first electric compact SUV from the German car giant, in March this year. It will have a range of up to 500 kilometres. The Volkswagen ID.4 is the second model of the ID family and, like the ID.3, will use the German group's modular platform for electric vehicles MEB.