Does an electric vehicle need to have a Ludicrous mode to be fun? The answer is “no” if you watch a recent Volkswagen video featuring Tanner Foust. The racing and stunt driver as well as VW brand ambassador hits the Horse Thief Mile track at California’s Willow Springs International Raceway with the brand’s ID.4 EV model.
Thanks to the car’s rear-wheel-drive orientation, and a disengaged traction control system, Foust snakes his way through the curvaceous course with dynamic driving and mild drifting. He comments that driving the ID.4 harkens back to the experience of his classic RWD Beetle, though with a tad more power. The ID.4 in the video produced 201HP and 228lb-ft of torque.
VW Goes Back To Its RWD Roots
Foust’s comments about RWD echo a similar message in VW’s press materials. Placing the ID.4’s electric motor in the rear gets back to the company’s RWD roots. VW is counteracting decades of front-wheel-drive offerings and the impression this has left with consumers.
The substantial weight of the ID.4’s lithium-ion battery pack makes an FWD configuration pointless as none of the traction, weight or packaging advantages of FWD apply. In a 2018 interview with Digital Trends, Christian Senger, the head of Volkswagen’s e-mobility department, remarks “With a long-range car, you have no chance to place 60 percent of the weight on the front axle.” A rear-mounted motor, he adds, will provide sufficient weight on top of the drive wheels to provide traction on wet or icy roads.
VW’s MEB platform, used in the ID.4, was designed around the use of battery packs instead of ICE power plants.
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An Important EV Entry For Volkswagen
The ID.4 is a critical vehicle for VW in the U.S. Not only is it the company’s first serious foray into the EV arena (the eGolf only provided a 125-mile range), but will help burnish a new corporate image for VW in light of the “Dieselgate” scandal. Also, the smaller ID.3 and swoopy ID.5 coupe will only be offered in Europe making the ID.4 singularly important to the American market.
The ID.4 1st Edition, with a promised 250-mile range and Q1 2021 launch, sold out in 8 hours. The ID.4 Pro can be configured and pre-ordered now on VW’s U.S. website with a mid-2021 delivery. Available options include an AWD package that offers 301HP. Before a $7,500 federal tax credit and any state credits, the Pro model starts at just under $40,000, and comes in at $49,675 will all options. VW is promising a $35,000 base price when Tennessee production begins in 2022.
Sources: Volkswagen, YouTube, Digital Trends