Volkswagen will support its upcoming ID lineup be selling home EV charger boxes ahead of launching the first vehicle. Sales will commence by 2020, which means customers who pony up for the first EV, the ID Hatch, will be all set for home charging the day they take delivery. Furthermore, there are plans for 400 new fast-chargers that will be spread out across Europe – that’s right, it’s a global offensive.

Volkswagen Chairman, Herbert Diess, spoke at VW’s annual media conference, saying, “Our aim is to make driving electric vehicles as simple, comfortable and clean as possible. We will supply private households with charging solutions; our wallbox for home use at €300 will be affordable for everyone. For the record, that’s $130 less than the basic wall connector offered by Tesla for the Model S, Model X, and Model 3.

As for the public charging network, it’s being rolled out through a partnership with BMW, Daimler, and Ford. They offer up to 350kWh of power, which is more than double that of Tesla’s fast-charging network right now. Of course, that’s not the only thing VW is doing to up the Pioneer of EV.

Diess went on to say, “We are making our IDs so intelligent that every vehicle will become a moving credit card. You will be able to recharge without thinking about paying. The vehicle will do it for you.” And, that’s where the privacy concern comes in. With as easy as cars have been hacked in the past, and the seemly constant leaks of personal information – even the way thieves use skimmers to steal our banking information right in front of us – will VW have a system in place that offers ample security?

It’s certainly a necessity in today’s world, and as cars become more and more connected, the risk of personal information, especially when stored in our vehicles, being expertly lifted from our vehicles is a very possible scenario. Let’s just hope that Volkswagen things that through by the time the public charging stations open up and our cars start paying all by themselves.

Looking to the future, expect the ID hatch to launch in 2020, which will then be followed by the ID Crozz by 2022. Both will connect to the aforementioned quick charging network and will be produced in mass amounts. According to Diess, the brand is expecting to produce as many as 1500 ID and ID Crozz per day, a figure that is based on the current demand for EV vehicles. That, of course, leads to the belief that customers are willing to switch to EV if the price is right.

Well, we shall see. Regardless of where you stand, however, EVs are coming.

References

Volkswagen ID

Read our full review on the 2018 Volkswagen I.D. Vizzion Concept.

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen I.D. Buzz.

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen I.D. Crozz II

Read our full review on the 2017 Volkswagen I.D. Crozz

Read more Volkswagen news.