With the fully-electric ID.4 set to arrive at dealerships across the U.S. in just a few weeks, the carmaker is looking to put minds at ease regarding how well their EV might be able to handle cold or freezing temperatures.
“Winter isn’t a reason to avoid joining the EV revolution,” said VW of America E-mobility VP, Matthew Renna. “We’ve designed the ID.4 to make the transition to electric driving as seamless as possible regardless of the season, and we think owners will enjoy it year-round.”
The reason why people might worry about cold temperatures and EVs is that the cold can affect efficiency in pretty much any type of car. With internal combustion, you typically have a third of the fuel burned escaping the engine as heat, some of which can be used to warm the interior.
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With an EV however, where the electric motor could be up to 95% efficient, you don’t have any spare energy to redirect towards the climate control system, so powering those heaters will affect your range, especially in below-freezing temperatures.
However, the ID.4 does offer a number of solutions, such as Pre-Heating. Using the Volkswagen Car-Net app you can begin to heat the interior of the ID.4 while it’s still connected to a charger, using energy from the grid instead of the battery.
Furthermore, all 2021 ID.4s come with heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, as well as an electric resistance heater, part of the Climatronic system – this is designed to offer you the temperature you’re looking for faster than traditional heaters from ICE-powered cars, which can sometimes blow cold air until the engine warms up.
One downside, if you live in a northern state, is that you’ll have to wait until later this year in order to get an ID.4 with all-wheel drive. Thankfully such a setup will be available by next winter, courtesy of two electric motors combining for 302 HP.
