Range and Shipping VW ID.5

The Volkswagen ID.5 has quickly blended into the top of the registration lists in this country. In August, the car took eighth place on the charts, with 747 copies, nearly half as much as its ID.4 sibling.

It is no coincidence that we mention these two models at the same time. The ID.5 is a coupe version of the ID.4, and it shares the vast majority of features—except for the chassis with a slightly steeper roofline. Among other things, this should lead to a somewhat lower consumption. The drawback is that ID.5 cannot be equipped with a rooftop payload.

reliable domain?

The higher version of the ID.5 GTX has a specific range of 487 kilometres, while the ID.4 GTX should run about another 10 kilometres, so there is no doubt that there are very significant differences. If you wear extra gear and the widest wheels, you should expect somewhat lower range.

Our test sample from Duel test between ID.5 GTX and Polestar 2 Performancehas a scrub and rake from the equipment packages, so the specified range has been reduced to 473 kilometers.

But how realistic is this in practice, for example if you fill the car with luggage and take a trip between the two largest cities in Norway? We wanted to find out.

Our previous tests of vehicles based on the same platform (MEB) and battery pack have shown that the selected range is reliable. At least in cases where range tests are conducted in good Norwegian summer weather (15-25 degrees).

We last tested the Skoda Enyaq Coupé RS, which is Skoda’s answer to the ID.5 GTX, and came up with 509 kilometers – a kilometer short of the specified range. However, at the time, we drove on nice eastern country roads and without luggage in the car.

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Oslo-Bergen test

This time the trip was to go from Geisheim to Londalen in Bergen via Hemsedalswehle, a 471-kilometre journey – only about two kilometers short of the specified range.

The car was filled with about 100 kilograms of luggage plus the driver, who weighed approximately the same weight. The temperature was between 15 and 20 degrees throughout the flight, while the official range is based on WLTP measurements taken at 23 degrees.

At start-up, the car also estimated a range of only 452 kilometers. In other words, we considered it very likely that we would have to stop charging along the way.

Effective recovery on downhill slopes

Until the Hemsedal Center, the range measure was largely ‘topical’. After 216 kilometers, the remaining battery capacity was 52 percent, the estimated remaining range was 226 kilometers, and the average consumption was 16.5 kWh per 100 kilometers.

When we reached the highest point in Hemsedalsfjellet, consumption was as high as 17.6 kWh per 100 km, but now several miles of slope followed – with associated recovery – energy recovery. It has been proven to be very effective on ID.5 GTX. Because when we got to Laerdal, capacity increased from 41 to 43 percent, consumption decreased to 14.4 kWh per 100 km, and the remaining range increased from 158 to 233 km.

It suddenly gave us little hope of getting there, without charging along the way. That’s how it went too, although we did get a bit of a range anxiety in some headwinds and eventually showers.

But when we got to Lundalen, there was still 5 percent of capacity left, and the remaining range was estimated at 25 kilometres, enough to reach both central Bergen, the counties of Vana in the south, and Osan in the north.

This means we were able to drive 496km this day, well above the set range, despite both loads, some winding roads, rain towards the finish and a lower temperature than in the WLTP measurements. It was simply a huge positive surprise.

0-100 percent charge test

Once back in eastern Norway, we performed an updated charging velocity measurement at the Ionity lightning charging station in Dal in Eidsvoll. Official VW data put 135 kW as maximum power, but we know from previous tests that this could be higher – Depending on who supplied the battery pack in the vehicle in question.

During our measurements, we have already reached 180 kW. All the data from the charging test can be found in the chart below.

conclusion

Volkswagen shows once again that it operates with reliable range numbers. It’s especially impressive that we got so far beyond the specified range with a fully loaded car. At the same time, it is important to note that the maximum permissible speed on the stretch has never been higher than 90 kilometers per hour.

Moreover, the test revealed a significant difference in consumption in the first and second half of the flight, underlining the importance of starting and ending range measurements at approximately the same altitude above sea level. In our case, the difference was about 90 meters.

We previously did the same range test with the Mercedes-Benz EQS. You can read more about that in the case below.