L’ADAC – the German automobile association, which has the largest number of members in Europe. Engineers at the ADAC Technical Test Center in Landsberg an der Lech, Bavaria, conducted endurance tests Volkswagen ID.3with mileage more than 100,000 km on board the ID.3 Pro S, equipped with a battery with a useful capacity of 77 kWh. This is the first model in the Volkswagen ID line. passes the ADAC endurance test.

First good news, after 100,000 km the high voltage battery is still working 93% of its capacity original grid. For the ID. series, Volkswagen guarantees that its models retain a net capacity of at least 70% of the original battery capacity after 8 years of use or 160,000 km.

Volkswagen ID.3: endurance test

And yet, ADAC testers were not particularly keen to protect the battery of this electric car: to save time during their tests, the battery was often charged to 100% at fast charging stations several times in a row. A practice that, however, is not not recommended to best preserve battery health in the long term: in fact, it is better to charge at a more moderate power, and only up to 80% capacity.

After each driving period, the used ID.3 underwent several checks at the ADAC technical center. The German organization thoroughly checked no less than 300 criteriagrouped into 8 families, such as on-board technology, safety, handling, ease of use and even environmental impact.

Encouraging results

The main flaws noted by ADAC concerned the quality of the materials, the touch controls on the steering wheel, and the touch sliders for adjusting the volume and temperature of the air conditioner, located below the touch screen: the settings are difficult to make precisely. , and at night it is impossible, because they are not illuminated. There were also software bugs that could be fixed with updates.

During testing, the ID.3 did receive several versions software updates, making it possible to correct several electronic malfunctions, as well as increase the charging power to 170 kW. The new software also helps reduce power consumption over short distances when the temperature is between 0 and 5°C.

ADAC engineers appreciated the novelty intelligent route planning system, which allows you to identify the stops needed to recharge the battery during long journeys in order to reach your destination as quickly as possible. This route planner takes into account the state of battery charge, the traffic situation and relevant forecasts, as well as the performance of the terminals available on the route. Therefore, it can suggest making several short stops at high-speed charging stations, rather than one long stop at a low-power terminal.

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Source: ADAC