Volkswagen
ID Concept
What is it?
Volkswagen’s ID concept previews a
forthcoming production EV scheduled for production by 2020. It will also go
fully autonomous by 2025, sitting alongside higher-end Golfs.
Can I leave range anxiety at home?
That’s the plan. The ID is the first
recipient of VW’s Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB – not Midlands Electricity
Board) that is the electric equivalent of MQB and will underpin all future VW EVs.
That means motor in the rear, batteries in the floor and ancillaries up front.
VW says the ID is capable of at least 250 miles on a single charge, 0-62mph in
under 8sec and 100mph.
What else is new?
The ID tag doesn’t just refer to the car;
it’s also the start of Volkswagen’s idea for each driver having a profile
containing seat and climate settings, favourite radio stations and even contacts,
all linked through the cloud via your phone. It can also link to your home, so
you can spy via your comprehensive CCTV network.
But when will we see this tech for real?
Sooner than you think. VW says the first
production ID will arrive within four years, so it will share underpinnings
with the next Golf. The automated driving tech is scheduled for 2025; touch the
VW roundel on the steering wheel and it retracts, and the lighting changes to
signal the car’s taken over.
What else can it do?
Party tricks aplenty from Volkswagen. As well
as boring stuff like driving itself the ID can accept deliveries from your
local online retailer if you’re away from home, park itself in a multi-storey and
project augmented reality images on to the road ahead. Your elderly father
might need some assistance with it.
Mercedes Generation EQ
What is it?
Purely a concept for now, the Generation EQ
is a SUV-cumcoupe showing off Merc’s thinking not only on production EVs but
also scalable electric architecture and next-gen interiors.
Can I leave range anxiety at home?
Befitting its sporty SUV flavour, the
Generation EQ has a mighty 400bhp and 516lb ft of torque distributed by a motor
on each axle. With all that traction it belts to 62mph in under 5sec. Drive
more sensibly and let the software manage the energy supply and the EQ can
manage over 300 miles on a single charge.
What else is new?
The Generation EQ previews a knob-free
interior (no sniggering) made up of a vast 24-inch TFT screen, fully
configurable by the driver and operated via touch-sensitive pads on the
steering wheel spokes. It also ditches conventional mirrors in favour of cameras,
while the internal door handles and window switches become all touchy-feely
too. Not ideal for haphephobics.
But when will we see this tech for real?
Forthcoming EVs from Mercedes-Benz will wear
the EQ tag although it is a little more cagey about when we’ll see the first production
car. As long as the global thirst for SUVs continues it’s a safe bet for the
real thing to arrive by 2020 but the architecture could easily be slotted in to
the next A-class.
What else can it do?
The EQ signals an end to the Merc owner’s
nightmare of a stolen three-pointed star, as both ends wear LED fibre-optics
that do the job of conventional badges, lights and indicators. As you approach
it lights up the cabin and adjusts the hue depending on the state of charge –
like sitting in a giant Duracell.
By Matt Joy
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