Once upon a time there was the people's car. The real one, not the one that costs as much as a studio apartment in the center. And maybe Volkswagen is starting to remember, despite years of SUVs and premium models. Wednesday in Wolfsburg, the German company raised the curtain on ID.EVERY1, an electric concept car that promises to bring the democratization of mobility back to the center of the debate. It is not yet on the market, but it is already causing controversy for its radically different approach from that of its competitors.
ID.EVERY1, the electric car for those who don't want to take out a mortgage
Let's face it: until now the electric car market has been like a starred restaurant. Beautiful, fascinating, but with prices that give you a headache. Volkswagen seems to have understood that not everyone can (or wants) to spend the equivalent of a small two-room apartment to move around on four electrified wheels. The ID.EVERY1 is proposed as an alternative to this elitist paradigm. With an estimated starting price of around €20.000, it is positioned in a market segment that is still little explored by Western manufacturers.
But be careful. Necessary disclaimer: €20.000 is still a significant amount. We are not talking about a gift, but an attempt to make electric marginally more accessible. The problem is that, however “democratic” this proposal may be, we are still far from the real turning point: the one in which an electric car will cost as much as its internal combustion counterpart. Or even less, since in theory it has fewer mechanical components and should be cheaper to produce. But that is another story, which evidently we will have to tell in a future yet to be written. In the meantime, let's take a snapshot of reality.
Small but promising
It makes me smile to think that, in an age of gigantic SUVs that look like cruise ships, Volkswagen offers a car that is just 3,87 meters long. The ID.EVERY1 is in fact a concentration of technology in a compact format, positioning itself between the now retired Up! (3,6 meters) and the ID.2all (4,05 meters).
The small size does not prevent the small German from offering space for four passengers and a cargo volume of 306 liters. Not bad for a car of its size, although do not expect to be able to transport grandma's wardrobe. The platform used is the MEB, the modular skeleton that Volkswagen has developed specifically for its electric vehicles. What I find interesting is how this platform has become a sort of “technological Lego” for the German group: from the compact ID.EVERY1 to the most massive SUVs, they all share the same basic DNA. A smart strategy to amortize development costs and, hopefully, pass on part of these savings to the final price.
Performance: everything essential is there
Don't expect Formula E performance, but don't expect an electrified snail either. The ID.EVERY1 is equipped with a 70 kW electric motor, equivalent to about 94 horsepower. Enough to reach 130 km/h, which for an urban utility vehicle are more than adequate. The declared autonomy is at least 250 km, a value that honestly does not make you shout out to the miracle. We are in line with other entry-level proposals, but the fact remains that with this autonomy long trips become an adventure that requires planning, frequent stops and a good dose of patience. For daily travel in and around the city, however, it should be more than sufficient.
The problem (and here I repeat myself, but it is necessary) is not so much in the car as in the ecosystem that should support it. Charging infrastructures are still insufficient, refueling times not comparable to 5 minutes at the gas pump, an electrical network not always ready to support peaks in demand... Car technology advances, but the infrastructure is struggling. Like trying to run a marathon with only one shoe.
The software that will come from Rivian
Among the features that Volkswagen wanted to emphasize during the presentation there is the new software architecture. The ID.EVERY1 will in fact be the first model to use a completely new system, described as "particularly powerful". It doesn't take a crystal ball to guess that these are probably the fruits of the $5 billion collaboration between Volkswagen e Rivian, announced last year. The German company describes this platform as an element that will make the concept car more future-proof, allowing it to “be equipped with new functions throughout its life cycle”.
In practice, the car will be like a smartphone on wheels: You buy the hardware, but the software will continue to evolve. At least in theory. Because we all know how these things go: after a few years of updates, the support magically disappears and you find yourself with a perfectly functional but suddenly “obsolete” device. I hope Volkswagen has planned a longer support cycle than smartphone manufacturers.
Design: Smiles and Character
“Our ambition was to create something bold but accessible,” he said Andrew Mindt, responsible for design Volkswagen. “The ID.EVERY1 looks confident but remains likeable thanks to details such as the dynamic headlights and the ‘smiling’ rear. These design elements make it more than just a car: they give it character and an identity that people can relate to.”
Aesthetically, the ID.EVERY1 follows the design language already seen on the other electric models of the company, with clean and minimal lines. It's not revolutionary, but it's not that banal either. It has that right balance between innovation and familiarity that could make it appealing to a wide audience. What I appreciate is the attempt to give “personality” to the car, with details like the front that seems to smile. It vaguely reminds me of the spirit of the first Fiat 500, which with its friendly design won the hearts of millions of Europeans. Reread “vaguely” and “only the spirit”. Sometimes a little anthropomorphism doesn’t hurt, especially in technological products that otherwise risk appearing cold and distant.
ID.EVERY1, a car “from Europe for Europe”
Here’s the part that will turn off American readers: the ID.EVERY1 is described as a car “from Europe for Europe.” In other words, if you live overseas, you’ll probably never see it in your local dealership. And you might not even care, if you’re used to those huge pickups. This choice reflects Volkswagen’s strategy of differentiating its offerings by market, focusing on larger, more powerful vehicles for the American market. It’s a commercially understandable decision, but it raises questions about whether the company really wants to democratize electric mobility globally.
On the other hand, as mentioned, tastes and mobility needs are indeed different between Europe and the United States. Here, old cities with narrow streets and limited parking make compact cars a necessity rather than a choice. Overseas, where space is abundant (at least outside the big cities), preferences tend toward more spacious vehicles. Perhaps true democratization also comes from respecting local specificities.
The long wait until 2027
There is one detail that risks dampening the enthusiasm: the ID.EVERY1 will not arrive before 2027. Three years of waiting, in a sector that evolves at the speed of light, is an eternity. In the meantime, competitors such as Chinese manufacturers could easily anticipate Volkswagen with similar or even more competitive proposals. BYD, for example, already has models in this price range on the Chinese market, and is rapidly expanding its presence in Europe.
Three years is also enough time to see significant changes in battery technologies, potentially making some of the design choices made today obsolete. It is no coincidence that Volkswagen has placed emphasis on updatable software architecture: it is perhaps the only element that can guarantee a certain longevity to the project.
ID.EVERY1, the future is electric (but at what price?)
The ID.EVERY1 is an interesting step towards the democratization of electric mobility, but let's not fool ourselves: the road is still long and uphill. The real test will be to see how many of the features presented in the concept car will actually arrive in the production model, and above all whether the price of €20.000 will remain so or will undergo upward "adjustments". The history of the automotive industry is full of enthusiastic promises followed by more sober realizations.
I like to think that Volkswagen is sincerely trying to return to its roots, to the concept of the “people's car” that determined its global success. But times have changed, and the very concept of mobility is evolving. The personal car, electric or otherwise, may no longer be the hub of urban mobility in the future as it has been in the past. Car sharing, electrified public transport, micromobility: the alternatives are multiplying and the automotive industry will have to adapt.
In the meantime, however, attempts like ID.EVERY1 are welcome. Because if the ecological transition must involve everyone (as it should) then it must be accessible to everyone. Or at least, to many more than it is today.
