The ID.4 kicks off a new generation of affordable electric vehicles from VW, in a move to continue fulfilling its promise to go green. VW’s modular electric MEB platform is at the center of that clean initiative, which includes a promise to build one million EVs by 2023 and invest more than $39 billion in the entire VW Group by 2024, including $13 billion on Volkswagen alone. In the United States, that all starts with the ID.4. 

The 2021 ID.4 was unveiled today, priced starting at $41,190 with an EPA estimated range of 250 miles. The ID.4 will be the first of VW’s new family of electric vehicles to be sold in the United States.

Charge for Free

Volkswagen announced on Monday that the ID.4 will come with three years of free charging from Electrify America, so keeping the vehicle topped off while on the road shouldn’t be too difficult in most areas with Electrify America continually expanding its network. 

When stopped at one of these stations, the ID.4 can accept DC fast charging up to 125 kW. Volkswagen says the vehicle’s state of charge can go from 5 to 80 percent in about 38 minutes while connected to one of these stations. 

The Specs 

The version of the ID 4 that will be available at launch will have a 82 kWh battery pack located in the underbody to create a low center of gravity, and an electric motor located in the rear, just like the original Beetle.

Initially, the ID 4’s battery pack, which is comprised of 288 pouch cells in 12 modules, will be produced by South Korea’s LG Chem. But once ID 4 production shifts to Chattanooga, the batteries will be supplied by SK Innovation, another South Korean company that recently opened a $2 billion factory nearby VW’s plant there.

The motor has 201 horsepower and can get 228 pound-feet of torque, which shouldn’t be surprising to anyone familiar with EV motors. VW estimates that the first edition of the ID 4 will have 250 miles of range based on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s standard. An all-wheel-drive variant with 302 horsepower will follow later in 2021.

Chattanooga & VW’s Clean Initiative

The Plant

• Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee, USA Tri-state area bordering Georgia and Alabama
• 1,400 acres (5.6 km2)
• ^{3,442,350 ft²} under roof
• Expansion represents a 26.36% increase in square footage
• Employs Approximately 3,800
• Currently produces the Volkswagen Passat and Volkswagen Atlas

The Environment

• Protected wetlands on site create natural animal and plant habitats
• LED lighting used throughout the facility saves approximately 262,500 kilowatt-hours annually compared to florescent lighting
• Approximately 12 million kilowatt-hours of energy is generated annually by 33,000 solar panels.

When Volkswagen announced the ID.4, plans were to eventually add 1,000 jobs to its workforce of about 3,800 people in Chattanooga.

The automaker is increasing its footprint by more than 750,000 square feet to its Chattanooga facilities to produce the more environmentally friendly EVs.

The expansion includes a 564,000-square-foot addition to the body shop where Volkswagen will build both internal combustion engine vehicles and EVs on the same assembly line.

Also, the company is building a 198,000-square-foot facility adjacent to its factory for the assembly of battery packs for battery-powered vehicles.

Volkswagen is sourcing the batteries from SK Innovation, a South Korean company that is building a factory in Northeast Georgia. At VW Chattanooga, the automaker will put together the battery packs that will be installed beneath the electric SUV.

When production of the all-electric SUV begins in early 2022, officials said, the Chattanooga plant will have capacity to assemble more than 100,000 EVs annually.