The second member of Volkswagen Group's family of electric vehicles, the VW ID4 crossover, will offer significant power increase compared with its hatchback sibling, the ID3.
That is because the new addition to VW's range of MEB-based cars will get a 102-hp electric motor on its front axle. Combined with the electric drive on the rear axle, the ID4 (formerly know by its concept name, the ID Cross) will have 306 hp of all-wheel-drive power, a team of VW engineers said in a presentation at the annual Vienna Motor Symposium.
To get smooth power output, the electric drives on the front and rear axles are combined with a single-speed transmission. While the electric drive on the rear axle offers 310 newton meters of torque transmitted in a parallel-axis design, the electric drive on the front axle provides 160 newton meters from a coaxial design.
VW to give ID4 all-wheel-drive power boost
The ID4 will initially be launched with rear-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive version will be added later.
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The key traits of the rear axle drive's permanent magnet synchronous motor are high efficiency, high power density and constant power output over a wide speed range, making it ideal for normal driving needs.
In contrast, the front-axle drive, which uses an induction motor with a power inverter (see diagram below), is characterized by its ability to handle short-term overloads as well as provide all-wheel-drive functionality and an extra boost.
In some cases MEB vehicles will be able to be driven by the front–axle drive, the engineers said.
Detailed view of the VW MEB front axle drive.
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