• The battery in the VW ID.3 can retain 93 percent of its capacity after 100,000 km, according to a new study.
It's well known that electric vehicle batteries lose efficiency over time. To what extent they do varies from model to model, making it difficult to predict their life span.
However, a recent test carried out by the German-based Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC) shows that the Volkswagen ID.3 battery holds up… quite well.
The unit in an ID.3 Pro S model was subjected to rigorous testing over the equivalent of 62,137 miles, or 100,000 km. At the end of the exercise, it was found it had retained 93 percent of its original capacity. That figure is actually higher than Volkswagen's own expectation of 74 percent after that amount of use.
And the model was tested vigorously, with no effort to coddle the battery. As much as possible, the car was charged using fast charging, known to be more damaging to the pack in the long term. The ID.3 was also left plugged in for several days and frequently recharged to 100 percent, against manufacturers’ recommendation to stop at 80 percent. Volkswagen does not, of course, recommend that owners adopt this kind of behavior with their EV.
The ID.3's battery has a capacity of 82 kWh, but only 77 kWh are usable. The 5-kWh difference acts as a buffer to ensure its longevity. The ADAC took pains to point this out, knowing that many manufacturers do not display the difference between the gross and real capacity of their battery.
The ADAC says it will carry out further tests on the ID.3's battery until it reaches the 160,000 km mark. Which happens to be the maximum number of kilometers the warranty covers, so it’s not a random figure.
While the test involved a vehicle not sold in North America, know that the ID.3’s components are the same as those in the VW ID.4. Owners of that SUV can therefore expect similar durability.