While far from the most exciting EV in the world (a battery-powered, Passat-style car was never likely to be), the VW ID 7 most certainly has efficiency in its favour. Back when PH compared it to a Hyundai Ioniq 6, the big Vee Dub was showing 4mi/kWh without trying very hard at all. Now we know what can be achieved with a bit of efficient driving: 6.03 miles per kilowatt hour, for 493 miles from one charge of the 86kWh (net) battery. No doubt this’ll be the time for somebody to mention how they can still get 700 miles out of a 1.9 PD, but it looks impressive for a big EV in a real world test.
The distance reached is well ahead of the official maximum WLTP range of 440 miles. And while doing 81km/50-mile laps of the ‘Zug metropolitan area south of Zurich’ isn’t exactly reflective of everyday use, the route was said to include motorway, country roads, urban driving and hills. The experiment took place during working days last week, in the daytime, with an average speed of just over 30mph.
Not bad going for any kind of metropolitan area. It doesn’t sound like one of the mad hypermile efforts, though it will have been pretty sedate going. It wasn’t even the ID 7 best suited to the task, apparently, as optional extras like the heat pump, Comfort package, IQ.Drive assists and a Plus exterior package on this Pro S meant an official WLTP maximum score of 435 miles.
This was all undertaken by VW Team Switzerland, with hypermiling expert Felix Egolf (yes, he drove an electric VW and he’s called Egolf) leading the charge. Eight different drivers were behind the wheel across two days of travelling, with a total drive time of 15 hours and 42 minutes. Good job the ID 7 seats are so good, especially with the Comfort package. And great news if the VW is on the shortlist for your next family car, as potentially fewer charging stops is good news in anybody’s book. But enough with the efficiency already, VW - when’s that 550hp one coming?
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