ID instead of GTI, Lago Maggiore instead of Wörthersee and talks regarding batteries instead of petrol: more than 100 electric cars came to Locarno for the second ID meeting. “With so many vehicles and a total of around 150 people taking part – convinced VW ID drivers and their companions – we have an increase of around 30 percent compared to 2021,” says the main organizer and former Golf driver Daniel Ott, satisfied with the development “of his “ Central European ID events.
Volkswagen used the appointment to take the ID Buzz from Munich along the Ammersee, through the Rhine Valley, past Klosters and Davos, over the Alps and the San Bernardino Pass to Lake Maggiore. On the mountain, the remaining kilometers of the electric range tumbled quickly, but following the pass downhill, recuperation at the destination ensured a decent remaining range, which even the current ID software 3.2 had not predicted.
The day following, Liisa Seefried from Middle Franconia might only smile regarding the insecurity in the mountains. With her ID 3 Pro S, she had won first prize in the meeting’s efficiency drive: She averaged 10.2 kWh per 100 kilometers over the specified route – and thus clearly undercut the official consumption figure. Laughing, she told how she started in Davos the day before with 80 percent of the possible battery power and arrived at Lake Maggiore in the evening and four passes later with a remaining 44 percent.
Apprentices from the Saxon VW locations Zwickau, Dresden and Chemnitz presented their ID 5 GTX “Xcite” in Locarno. A total of 14 of the best young people worked on their project for a year under expert guidance in order to implement the knowledge they had acquired independently – from the first design draft to the adaptation of the body and paintwork to the technical commissioning. In addition to the aspect of sustainability, for example through vegan leather in the interior, the Xcite focuses on the idea of holistic mobility. An electric skateboard is standard on board for the last few meters to the finish line. It is now the eighth vehicle project of this kind since 2014 and the second ID trainee car from Saxony.
Wolfsburg itself brought the ID “Xtreme” off-road study. The vehicle was created in Technical Development at Volkswagen in the team led by Andreas Reckewerth, Head of MEB Overall Vehicle. A performance drive on the rear axle and software adjustments to the drive control unit increase the system output of the all-wheel drive concept vehicle by 65 kW to 285 kW (387 hp) compared to the ID 4 GTX.
All-wheel drive with a larger battery was eagerly awaited in Locarno, especially for the ID Buzz, as well as the Volkswagen announcement that every ID model would be given a GTX version and perhaps one or the other icon of the brand’s history would be modernized. electrified on the market. ID fans should therefore make a note of the second weekend of September 2023. (Alexander Voigt/aum)
