Due to the proliferation of mobile devices, most people are now familiar with the concept of battery degradation, where the actual capacity of a device's battery reduces with time.
To alleviate concerns that the batteries in its upcoming ID family of electric cars may also degrade, or worse still, turn into bricks, Volkswagen said Monday that it will guarantee the batteries to a minimum 70 percent of their original capacity for eight years or 100,000 miles.
That's regardless if you use a high-speed charger, which the ID cars can utilize at charging rates of up to 125 kilowatts. At this rate, VW estimates that roughly 160 miles can be added in around 30 minutes.
VW plans to offer customers a wall box that will enable high-speed charging at their home.
Volkswagen ID charging
The first of VW's ID electric cars will be the ID 3, a Golf-sized hatch set to make its world debut in September at the 2019 Frankfurt International Motor Show. The vehicle will then launch on the European market the following year.
VW will offer the ID 3 with a trio of battery options with the range on a single charge starting close to 200 miles and topping out above 300 miles. The batteries are thought to come in 45-, 58- and 77-kilowatt-hour capacities.
Unfortunately, the United States isn't on the list of planned markets for the ID 3. Instead, our first taste of VW's ID electric family will be a small crossover previewed by 2017's ID Crozz concept. It's due here in 2020. We'll also receive a spiritual successor to the Microbus in the form of a production version of the ID Buzz concept.
Eventually, the Volkswagen Group through its various brands will offer as many as 70 EVs by the end of 2028.
