ID.4 in the Winter

How will your Volkswagen ID.4 manage in the winter and leave you feeling warm and fuzzy? Quite well — thanks to a little preparation!

The VW has so many of the right features that will keep you warm in winter as well as preserve battery life by preconditioning.

Many drivers ask themselves how their electric vehicle will perform when the temperatures drop. That is a natural question and worth the time to consider. While cold temps can affect the efficiency of all sorts of vehicles, winter is not a reason to avoid the EV market — especially when VW is at the helm. Designed with several technologies that optimize heating efficiency, the ID.4 for 2021 will put your mind at ease when temperatures drop.

Thanks to such features as pre-heating, heated seats and steering wheel, as well as an anticipated heated windshield and all-wheel-drive, the ID.4 can carry you through the winter with the top performance you’ve come to expect from the brand.

Here’s more….

Modern EV batteries do not perform poorly when the temperatures drop. Instead, it is the fact that heating requires more energy. Therefore, in a fossil-fueled vehicle, a third of the fuel burned escapes the engine as heat, some of which can be used to warm your car’s interior. In an electric vehicle, where the motor may be upwards of 95 percent efficient, there is simply no spare energy lying around to be used on interior climate control.

This is where the top design and technology of VW is made clear.

While powering those heaters will lessen an EV’s range by a small amount, especially when temps dip below freezing, the VW ID.4 boasts several technologies as part to its design that serves to maximize heating efficiency while minimizing the impact cold temps can have on the vehicle.

The first of these technologies is pre-heating. Similar to how drivers warm up gas-powered vehicles in colder temps, Volkswagen’s Car-Net mobile app can be used to heat your EV while it is still connected to the charger. Instead of using energy from the vehicle battery, this will instead use it from the grid, serving to both preserve the range as well as have your car nice and warm when you are ready to hit the road.

Another way to beat the winter temps and enjoy your driving experience is through the use of the ID.4’s heated front seats and heated steering wheel, which come standard in all the 2021 ID.4s. Both of these features are even more effective and direct than conventional heating. In addition, the ID.4 also includes an electric resistance heater as part of its Climatronic automatic climate control system. This is designed to get to temperature faster than the traditional heaters in gas-powered vehicles. Those are often known to blow cold air until the engine heats up.

Moving forward….

While all-wheel-drive will not be available until after the vehicle is launched, the ID.4 is marketed as a crossover and therefore would seem to be more of an interest to buyers in snowier regions of the country. The all-wheel-drive version will definitely be more suited for winter and the cold temps. In addition to the all-wheel-drive, future plans call for a heated windshield as well on the ID.4.

Also, moving forward, there is not yet an option of a heat pump, which consumes 2-3 less energy than the electric resistance heater.

The ID.4, which will be sold across the United States — not just in a few select states — has what it takes to put your mind at ease when temperatures take a dive. There is no reason to avoid the EV during the cold temps. Instead, embrace it and be prepared to experience the warmth and comfort that is presented through this top-performing crossover. Freezing temps — we got this!