VW starts sales of ID.Charger as “Wallbox for everyone”
In time for the on-sale of the VW ID.3 electric car, Volkswagen is launching the wall box ID.Charger. It is available to order online for clients in eight European countries, and the basic version costs 399 euros – without installation.
VW had announced the wall box in September 2019 and has kept in line with the pricing policy. In an exclusive interview with our German sister-site electrive.net, Martin Roemheld, VW’s Head of e-Mobility Services said: “We wanted to achieve a very attractive price.” The prices for the two other versions, ID.Charger Connect (starting at 599 Euro, with LTE module 799 Euro) and ID.Charger Pro (849 Euro), also correspond to the announcement at that time. However, the prices for the optional installation service are new. Depending on the version, VW subsidiary Elli charges around 1,600 euros for this service – which raises the prices to €2,049 and €2,429. To deliver, Volkswagen is teaming up with certified electrical contractors for installation, and potential customers can also complete a free pre-check online.
All three variants of the 11 kW wall box come with a 4.5-metre cable. A 7.5-metre cable can be ordered for an additional 50 euros. All versions only come with permanently mounted Type 2 charging cable. As a VW spokesman explained in September upon request, the introductory prices are to remain valid until at least “end of 2020”. At that time, however, Volkswagen still considered orders to start from November 2019 – now it is early summer 2020. By now though, both the ordering and delivery processes of the wall box and ID.3 are “perfectly coordinated”, promises Martin Roemheld. But this does not mean that only VW buyers can charge with the VW wall box. Ultimately, any electric motorist could buy the charging solution and thus also charge the e-vehicles of other manufacturers, explains Roemheld. Brand Board Member Thomas Ulbrich added in a company statement that VW also need the “right to install wall box in other European countries”. More so, Ulbrich suggested the ID.Charger would “get things rolling” before further charging services to follow”. Already VW claims the We Charge charging service will give access to some 150,000 public charging points throughout Europe. And through Ionity, Volkswagen is involved in building up a network of high-power charging stations across Europe.
While the basic wall box for 399 euros (or €449 with the long cable) has no connectivity at all, the Connect and Pro are better equipped in this respect. The ID.Charger Connect can dial into the home network via WLAN and LAN, which enables some digital services. Users can control the charging processes via the web interface or smartphone, and also use remote maintenance and software updates. Since the Connect version connects to the backend, access can be managed for multiple users via charging card. However, the LTE module costs 200 euros extra in this case.
Only the ID Charger Pro already includes the LTE module. At 849 euros, the Pro is only 50 euros more expensive than the Connect with LTE module option. The difference can be explained by an integrated electricity meter that enables billing by kilowatt-hour – either for your control of the electricity flow or for billing between the company car driver and employer, for example. The price already includes the cost of data transfer via LTE. The charger then connects to the back end of VW’s charging infrastructure subsidiary Elli.
The official press release states the basic version can already be ordered from the ID. Charger webshop with the option to book installation. The ID. Charger Connect and ID. Charger Pro models will also be “available soon”. Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland, and Finland are the first markets where orders are open as of now.
Volkswagen had announced the start of delivery of the ID.3 earlier car earlier this week for the beginning of September. As far as charging infrastructure is concerned, the wall boxes are to be delivered “in time for the sales start of the ID.3” despite the current health crisis, according to the Wolfsburg company. Concerning the ID.Charger, however, Volkswagen in a current notice on its website, informs customers that “despite the current situation regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19), your ID. Charger will be delivered in time for the launch of the ID.3. However, we ask for your understanding in case of possible delays until then.”
With reporting by the team in Germany.
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