This was a significant moment, I believe. The moment when the first of the European car makers decided now was the time to make electric cars more affordable – and, importantly, more fleet focused.
The new Volkswagen ID.2 – or ID.2all to give the car its full title – was shown last week as a concept.
Some concept car.
It looked almost production ready to me. A Polo sized hatchback but with the interior space of a Golf.
What’s more, Volkswagen is promising that the ID.2 when it goes into production will start at a cost that’s less than €25,000 euros – or roughly £22,000.
At the moment the cheapest EV on the market is Smart’s EQ fortwo coupé at £22,225. But that’s strictly a two seater. The ID.2 is promising a start point below that, and of course you get more seats and far greater practicality and space.
If you want a five-seater hatchback, then you need to step up to the Chinese owned MG brand and its MG4 hatchback at £26,995.
Again the ID.2 plans to significantly undercut MG’s position – and it’s certainly below the GWM Ora Cat which was expected to arrive in the UK at a £25,000 price point, but actually landed at more than £32,000.
So it’s a big statement from Europe’s biggest car maker. What’s more, it shows that Volkswagen is not simply going to roll over as it faces rising competition from some excellent Chinese electric vehicles.
No, this was fighting talk.
Here was a Golf-like hatchback, with signature C-pillar at the rear and a stance that makes it instantly recognisable as a Volkswagen in the Polo/Golf mould.
What’s more there’s front-wheel drive – a first for an electric car. And although we have no details of the battery, it is promised to have a range of 280 miles, which is sufficient for most people.
I’m very excited by the car. This is exactly the vehicle fleets have been wanting: well-priced, with all the dependable virtues of being a Volkswagen.
There was a time when the Golf could do no wrong for fleets. In 2010 the Association of Car Fleet Operators (now part of the AFP) – a hard-headed lot of fleet managers – voted the Golf its best fleet car for an astonishing fourth successive year. It was a car that encapsulated solid reliability with a dash of class.
To me, the new ID.2 has the same feel about it. Which is why I think it will be a great hit with fleets, offering a five door family car that’s highly suitable for business during the working week, but with the practicality for the family a the weekend, including a boot of 490 litres capacity that can be extend with rear seats folded to 1330 litres.
To give you some perspective, the current Golf Mk8 has a boot size of 380 litres with the seats up and 1,237 litres with the rear seats down.
And, of course, the ID.2 will have an attractive benefit in kind position.
But I don’t see this car just confined to fleets – for companies with forward-looking Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agendas, the zero emission ID.2 is a perfect car for salary sacrifice takers, at a price point that will open up the opportunity for greener motoring to more people.
It’s a car that makes me very excited for the future. Roll on 2025 when the ID.2 is slated to drive off the production line.
This was a significant moment, I believe. The moment when the first of the European car makers decided now was the time to make electric cars more affordable – and, importantly, more fleet focused. The new Volkswagen ID.2 – or ID.2all to give the car its full title – was shown last week as a … Continued
Synthetic fuels – also known as e-fuels – are beginning to make a play for attention in the decarbonisation of transport. Although battery electric cars remain pivotal to the green agenda, e-fuels could help both heavy-duty vehicles and the existing parc of cars to meet climate change goals. Last year, the European Council announced a … Continued
Fleet Alliance, along with other members of Climate Group’s EV100, are now running a combined total of more than 400,000 electric vehicles. It’s a remarkable achievement in a short period of time – just five years since the creation of EV100, a group of progressive companies that are committed to electrifying fleets by 2030. … Continued
In 2022, sales of new electric cars were second only to petrol. EV volumes were up 40% – compare that to the 38.9% decline in diesel cars to see the clear direction of travel. Good job: only electrified new cars can legally be sold from 2030. By 2035, the entire new car market will be … Continued
The world is addicted to electrical goods. Every month, around 100 million smartphones are sold. Now, another indispensable tool of modern life – the car – is going electric. But whereas a smartphone battery contains just a few grams of rare earth materials such as lithium, EV batteries use upwards of 10kg. Which is leading … Continued
Are electric car batteries an environmental disaster waiting to happen, dumped into landfill and left to deteriorate while leaching toxic materials into the ground? Or are they recycled and repurposed? What’s the truth? First, electric car batteries last a very long time. Stories of them wearing out after a few years are little more than … Continued
Electric cars are becoming an increasingly common sight on the road. In 2022, electric cars (EVs) outsold diesel vehicles, taking over 16% of the new car market. Thanks to advantageous running costs, electric cars are proving extremely popular with business users and fleets – last year Fleet Alliance sold double the national average of electric … Continued
There are plenty of arguments and counter arguments at the moment about how green and less polluting electric vehicles really are compared with an internal combustion-engined (ICE) car, whether petrol or diesel. The answer is more complicated than you might expect and it’s not simply black and white. But one thing is clear: overall, from … Continued
The LA Auto Show is the last major show of the automotive year, where car makers reveal all the showroom-ready models they’re hoping will help them clean up during the following year. And the highlights of the 2022 LA Auto Show suggest 2023 is going to be an exciting year in the world of motoring. … Continued
I can’t think of a more exciting time to be involved in the automotive sector with the migration from fossil based fuels to electric power for cars and vans. It’s the moment when the internal combustion engine cedes power to the electric drivetrain. Whatever the current operational difficulties, this is a historic period: the end … Continued