Renewable Revolution

Green Car Reports



Eric C. Evarts

17 CommentsMay 10, 2019

2020 Volkswagen ID Neo spy shots2020 Volkswagen ID Neo spy shots
Three years after Tesla started taking $1,000 reservations for its Model 3, Volkswagen is racking up similar orders for its upcoming ID 3 hatchback in Europe.

Perhaps not to the degree, sure. Tesla amassed 180,000 orders for its "affordable" long-range electric car in one day in the US, while VW took 10,000 first-day deposits on the day it opened reservations for the ID 3 hatchback.

DON'T MISS: VW names fully electric hatchback ID 3, starts taking deposits in Europe

Still, the advanced orders are a hopeful sign for VW, after Tesla, Nissan, GM, and other automakers got a head start in building long-range electric cars.

Volkswagen said the orders exceeded its expectations, and said that in some cases its computer systems couldn't keep up with the deposits.

READ MORE: VW releases video of electric ID hatchback testing in South Africa

The company is booking reservations for the first edition of the ID 3, the ID 3 1ST, which comes with the long-range 62-kilowatt-hour battery pack, as well as 2,000 kwh of free public charging at Ionity fast charging stations around Europe.

The 62-kwh battery is expected to give the ID 3 a range of 260 miles on the notably generous European WLTP driving cycle. A shorter range, 48-kwh, is expected to deliver closer to 200 miles.

CHECK OUT: VW ID Buggy teases potential of electric-car platform with some beach fun

VW says the ID 3 will go into production by the end of 2019—about six months later than its original estimate—and the first cars will be delivered in Europe in mid-2020.

Volkswagen has no plans to sell the ID 3 the US, though it does plan to import future electric cars based on the ID 3's platform to the US, starting with the ID Crozz later in 2020.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1123022_vw-id-3-racks-up-10000-deposits-in-first-day