This is the Volkswagen ID7: electric counterpart to the Passat

After our first driving experiences with a camouflaged prototype of the Volkswagen ID7, we have now also seen the electric counterpart of the Passat without decals and we know more details. Simply put, you could call the ID7 with its low Cd value of 0.23 an elongated ID5. Stretched even longer than the already not small Passat. The 2.97 measuring wheelbase of the ID7 is no less than 18 centimeters longer than that of the Passat. The Passat is only available as a station wagon. With the ID7 there will be a choice of two body styles. Initially, the ID7 comes as a liftback, the entire elongated rear goes up when the trunk is opened. According to a spokesman, a station wagon will follow next year.

Highlights Volkswagen ID7

• As a hatchback and station wagon
• Coming this year
• Bigger than Passat

Glass ceiling

Volkswagen offers the ID7 at extra cost with a panoramic sunroof with ‘intelligent glass’. This glass becomes transparent or milky white after a voice command or at the touch of a button. The glass contains a polymer layer with liquid crystals. An electrical voltage causes the crystals to line up in such a way that the glass appears transparent, conversely the glass turns white when the voltage is removed.

The Volkswagen ID7 can park autonomously.

Autonomous parking

In addition to a smart roof, the ID7 has a whole range of intelligent assistance systems available as standard or not. For example, the car can continuously store the trip data of the last 50 meters driven and, at the end of the trip, also the parking situation. Based on this data plus the location, the car can perform the parking maneuver independently the next time, for example into your yard and into your narrow carport. Then you just have to look at it. Over a distance of up to 25 meters, the car can also leave the parking space the next time.

Based on swarm data, the Volkswagen ID7 can overtake independently.

Swarm data

Based on traffic signs, data from the navigation system and the distance to the car in front, the ID7 can adjust the speed of the cruise control. We already know that. What is new is that swarm data can now also be added, that is data from other cars driving elsewhere on your route. Based on the swarm data, the pace can be adjusted earlier, in order to increase comfort. And with the swarm data of the cars around your ID7, the car can indicate that it is possible to overtake or change lanes. All you have to do then is to confirm by tapping the turn signal. In short, if we can believe Volkswagen, the world will become a bit smarter with the arrival of the ID7.

The Volkswagen ID7 should travel 700 km on a full battery.

Up to 700 kilometers

The electric hatchback is 4.96 meters long, 1.86 meters wide and 1.54 meters high. That is more centimeters in all directions than the Passat. Volkswagen has developed a completely new electric motor for the drive. To fit within the modular platform used by Volkswagen for its electric ID family, the exterior dimensions of the electric motor are virtually the same as the rear motors of the other family members. However, the engine in the ID7 is a lot more powerful, peaking at 286 hp instead of 204 hp. This is achieved with stronger magnets in the rotor. For a better magnetic field, the magnets in the rotor are also positioned slightly more favorably. Furthermore, the number of stator windings has been increased and together they have a larger cross-section for a more powerful magnetic field. Everything seems to be pulled out of the closet to boost performance. To prevent overheating, the motor is provided with water cooling in the outer casing, while the rotor is internally cooled with oil. In addition to the performance, the efficiency has also increased, depending on the circumstances, by almost 40 percent. The latter directly benefits the range. With a net battery capacity of 77 kWh, the ID7 Pro should travel 615 km according to WLTP, while the ID7 Pro S with a net battery capacity of 86 kWh, which will be introduced later, should be able to reach 700 km.

Volkswagen gives the ID7 a neatly finished interior.

From Emden

For the production of electric cars, Volkswagen has invested more than one billion euros in the factory in Emden (just across the border at Delfzijl), where the Passat is still being built. The ID4 is already being built here and from mid-June the ID7 will also be produced there, and not just for the European market. Emden will also build them for America next year. For the Chinese market, the ID7 will be built in the People’s Republic itself.