German electric car rental company Nextmove has revealed further details of the market launch of the VW ID.3 with reference to a document from France. Orders for the First Edition should apparently be possible from April. The series version will also be available from May, initially with 58 kWh and 45 kWh batteries.

While it is no secret that the First Edition will be available to 40,000 pre-orderers throughout Europe from summer (if they make a binding order from their reservation), now it seems that deliveries of the series versions with 58 kWh and 45 kWh batteries will start in September and October respectively. The launch was announced for 2020 and Volkswagen is taking this seriously, although we might assume that since no mention has been made of the most powerful version with a 77 kWh battery, its market launch is expected to take place after 2020.

Volkswagen plans the same equipment lines for France and Germany, so the information from the French document should also be relevant for the market launch in Germany. In addition to the order and delivery schedule, a new technical detail is of particular interest. According to the leaked information, the heat pump is supposed to provide a range gain of 60 kilometres for the ID.3 with medium battery option (58 kWh). This is, after all, a considerable percentage of the total range of up to 420 kilometres and almost makes up the difference between the small 45 kWh and the medium 58 kWh battery on its own.

The installation of a heat pump helps to save energy in winter conditions and thus indirectly gains range. The Volkswagen specification of 60 kilometres range gain refers to an outside temperature of +5 to -10 degrees Celsius. It is not clear how much customers have to pay for the heat pump in the freely configurable series models. Of the three equipment lines the heat pump is only on board with the maximum equipment for the First Edition presented by VW. And this costs directly 10,000 euros more than the basic equipment of the Edition, namely 50,000 instead of 40,000 euros (in addition there is also the middle equipment line for 46,000 euros). These are still upper price limits. The final prices are still out.

In the meantime, the First Edition is no longer available to reserve in Germany. 40,000 early bookers have paid a deposit since the launch event in Berlin in May 2019. The contingent is thus exhausted. Specific prices have recently been published for Denmark, but in view of the higher VAT and registration tax due in Denmark, they are not transferable to Germany. On the other hand, it became known in the course of the meeting that Volkswagen apparently wants to offer four instead of three drive options in the ID.3 – which would be Pure, Pro, Pro Power and Pro S.

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