Whether you may like it or not, electric mobility is really here. The Volkswagen ID. Life concept is a budget electric car that will possibly mark the entry point in to VW’s EV range. Many of the concept’s components are made of, or make use of sustainable materials. It also packs in technology which could very well appear in future electric products from Volkswagen.
The Volkswagen ID. Life appears to be a mix between a hatchback and a micro-SUV, and like we always say, appearances are subjective. The ID. Life does have a modern-retro charm to it and even has hints of the Volkswagen Golf Mk 1 in the silhouette, albeit slightly more beefed up. The unique bit here is the lighting. The ID. Life does away with conventional headlights and tail lights, and instead it gets translucent backlit panels. The design contains a minimum amount of curves, with an almost flat body shape, save for the flared wheel arches. The doors receive flush-fitting handles, but there are no ORVMs to speak of, and instead it gets cameras.
Keeping clean mobility in mind, the ID. Life makes use of sustainable materials. For example, the clear-finish paintwork on the body is made of recycled wood chips dyed in blue colour. Volkswagen says this solution could completely remove the need for a conventional chemical paint finish in the future. The roof and bonnet consist of a two-layer air chamber textile made out of plastic bottles. The roof can be removed via zip fasteners for a drop-top experience. Talk about cool wind in your hair!
The interiors may appear minimalist, but the Volkswagen ID. Life comes packed with features. There are no buttons or switches to fiddle with, but instead gets two touch surfaces — one on the hexagonal-shaped multi function steering wheel which controls the turn indicators, gear selection, wipers and horn, while the second touchscreen in the wooden panel of the dashboard controls the ambient lighting and climate control. Furthermore, there’s a gaming console as well as a projector screen present in the interior, and the seats can be folded down completely, thus transforming the interiors into a cinema or a gaming lounge in no time.
The Volkswagen ID. Life is underpinned by an altered version of the MEB platform designed specifically for the small car market. It is powered by a single electric motor on the front axle putting out 230bhp and 290Nm of torque, which makes the ID. Life capable of covering a 0-100kmph run in just 6.9 seconds. It is also the first car on the MEB platform to get FWD. The 57kWh battery pack will provide a claimed range of 163 kilometres in a 10 minute charge, while a full charge gives it a total range of 400 kilometres on the WLTP cycle.
With the ID. Life, Volkswagen attempts to give a preview into a production budget-segment electric car. The car should hit production in 2025. Volkswagen aims to price it at 20,000 Euros which translates to approximately Rs 17 lakh (in Europe, excluding Indian taxes and duties). For context, a Hyundai i20 Turbo costs that much in Europe today. Through the ID. Life concept, Volkswagen attempts to create an affordable electric car.
Volkswagen India is all set to launch the Taigun soon, and we have already reviewed it, which you can read more about here. The Volkswagen Taigun review video is also live and you can watch it on our YouTube channel. Make sure to subscribe!