Volkswagen has praised its new electric vehicle after testing showed its ID.7 Pro S travelled almost 800km on one battery charge in a further blow to range anxiety.
As part of testing near Zurich, the Volkswagen Team Switzerland joined with project lead Felix Egolf, the ID.7 Pro S siccessfully travelled a total of 794 kilometres – or 493 miles – on a single charge.
The electric vehicle successfully drove for an impressive 15 hours and 42 minutes, which significantly exceeds the model’s maximum combined range of up to 709km (440 miles).
Egolf, who is an expert in long-distance driving with electric vehicles, drove the vehicle alongside seven others.
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The total journey took almost 16 hours
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The vehicle was tested on an 81km circuit in the Zug metropolitan area south of Zurich, with the route being in line with everyday driving.
It included main through-roads, motorway sections and country roads with hilly transitions along the nearly 16-hour journey.
Eight different drivers covered a total of 794km in two consecutive days on just one battery charge, which has been praised by the German manufacturer.
The almost 800-kilometre route is the equivalent from Basel to Emden in northern Germany, where the ID.7 is built.
The average consumption of the vehicle during the test was an “exceptionally low” 10.3kWh/100km. When converted to diesel, this corresponds to around 1.1 litres per 100km.
During the testing, the electric vehicle was driven at an average speed of 51km/h (31.7mph) during normal traffic flow earlier last week.
The VW ID.7 SUV is already available on the UK market and comes in a range of options starting with the 381-mile range Pro Match for £51,500.
For drivers looking for a long-range solution, the Pro S Match has an estimated range of 436 miles, acceleration of 0-62mph in 6.6 seconds for just £4,000 more than the entry model.
Volkswagen does also sell a performance GTX 4MOTION model with a list price of £61,980, 5.4 0-62mph time and a slightly smaller range of 365 miles.
The ID.7 EV does come equipped with a route planner which calculates an optimum route that takes into account the current battery charge and the available charging stations along the route.
It also helps motorists plan when they can visit a charging station to make the journey more efficient by taking into account live traffic data.
In the year-to-date, Volkswagen has sold more than 105,000 cars in the UK, according to the latest data from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).
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A total of eight drivers were involved in the testing process
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This makes the German brand the best-selling vehicle brand in the UK so far this year. It has also seen a 4.52 per cent uplift in sales compared to last year.
In total, Volkswagen has a UK market share of 8.52 per cent, beating out fellow manufacturing giants like Ford, Kia, BMW and Audi.
Volkswagen has several popular electric vehicles on the market in the UK including the ID.3, ID.4, ID.4 GTX, ID.5, ID.5 GTX, ID.7, ID.7 Tourer and the ID. Buzz campervan.
