What could possibly go wrong? VW Will Automatically Limit Some ID.4 Batteries To 80% Charge This Week Unless Owners Opt Out
Okay, so safety is important. But so is range. You bought a VW ID.4 (they need a better naming convention in Germany) expecting a range of 263 miles in the all wheel drive. Now that is decreased by 20% to keep the thing from catching fire. And then there is winter.
The 20% hit to the battery likely brings real-world range below 200 miles, and actual winter condition tests show that the ID.4 loses up 37% of its range in the cold—ouch.
They link to a winter weather study that talks about performance in 32 degrees Fahrenheit, or 0 degrees Celsius. But that is late fall in some parts of the country. What about in places like Chicago in early February where -20 degrees Fahrenheit or -30 degrees Celsius is not uncommon. At least it was not uncommon in the morning, when a lot of people are trying to drive to work. And while Chicago gets cold - I mention it because I used to live there - there are places in the US that get colder.
This isn't a fix, and they don't have a fix available. I haven't looked, but I imagine this means that the resale value of the ID.4 is even lower than it was.
These are cars, and the batteries, are a few years old. The recall impacts model years 2023 through 2026, for cars built in Chattanooga, and supplied by a particular battery pack. What happens when these cars are 15 or 20 years old?
And you know they don't want to just replace the battery packs, because those are a significant portion of the value of the car.
Click thru.
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