The German ADAC, the largest automobile club in Europe, praised the ID.3 for very good progress control. Engineers at the Test and Technology Center in Landsberg am Lech drove more than 100,000 kilometers with an ID.3. The most important finding: the high-voltage battery continued to have a net capacity of 93%. The model tested was an ID.3 Pro S with a useful battery energy content of 77 kWh, for which Volkswagen, as for all other models in the ID. model family, guarantees that the battery still has at least 70% of its original net capacity after eight years of operation or 160,000 kilometres driven.
The ADAC testers did not spare the battery. In order to reach the magic number of 100,000 kilometres as quickly as possible, the ID.3 was frequently charged on the 100% on DC fast chargers. Furthermore, contrary to the recommendation, the vehicle was usually ready for the next tester at the 100% level charging station, sometimes waiting for several days.
This endurance test is the first of its kind for a vehicle of the ID family... Between the test periods, the ID.3 was repeatedly checked by engineers at the Landsberg am Lech Test and Technology Centre. The ADAC tests eight primary criteria and more than 300 secondary criteria - ranging from technology and safety to vehicle control level, ease of handling and environmental impact.
The ADAC has a clear recommendation for customers: Software updates should always be installed. During the long endurance test, the ID.3 received several software updates. In addition to various bug fixes, the updates ensured, among other things, an increase in charging power up to 170 kW. The updates also had a positive effect on energy consumption and thus on autonomy. In particular, the new software significantly improved energy consumption for short distances and operation in winter temperatures from 0 to 5°C.
The intelligent Electric Vehicle Route Planner system, which was installed in the ID.3 via a software update, was praised by the ADAC testers. On longer routes, the system plans charging stops in such a way that the car reaches its destination as quickly as possible. In addition to the battery charge status, the system also takes into account the current traffic conditions as well as the corresponding forecasts. Charging stops are dynamically evaluated based on the performance level of the chargers during the journey. As a result, the trip planning system can propose two short, high-power charging stops instead of one longer, low-power stop.
