IF you’re a DIYer or gardener you might use Black+Decker multi-tools.
One motor-battery base unit clicks into and powers a range of heads. Drills, cutters, sanders, grinders, trimmers. All off that one electric handle.
8th
I’m driving the ID 4. It’s a family crossover. But you could also have the ID 3, a hatchbackCredit:
8th
The ID 4 will be the biggest seller globally, rolling out of five factories spread across Europe, America and ChinaCredit:
8th
The ID 4 is not like most cars… you don’t start it as such — it simply comes to life when you fasten your seatbeltCredit:
Volkswagen had the same idea with its electric cars.
I’m driving the ID 4. It’s a family crossover. But you could also have the ID 3, a hatchback.
Plus there’s the ID 5, a sort of crossover coupe thing.
Or the ID Buzz, revealed last month. It looks like a modern reincarnation of the Sixties hippie camper van.
Next year they’ll launch an estate car, with the provisional name Aero B.
Like those DIY tools, all these have essentially the same motor-battery units. Plus they share suspension, electronics, instruments and controls.
Supple and subdued
Although to be fair you can’t actually buy a different body and swap out at home. (There you go, VW, you can have that idea for nothing.)
It’s not just VW’s either. The Audi Q4 e-Tron and Skoda Enyaq crossovers use the same assembly underneath, as does the Cupra Born.
Ford will borrow the same foundations to build two mid-size electric cars.
Guess what? The ones we’ve tested so far all feel much the same to drive. You select your body style, choose your brand.
Then figure out how much you’re prepared to pay — they range from £38k to around double that including options.
To be fair, the selling price isn’t just a matter of snobby Audi pitching higher than value Skoda.
You can also select between two battery sizes. And between single-motor rear-wheel drive or twin-motor 4WD.
The ID 4 will be the biggest seller globally, rolling out of five factories spread across Europe, America and China.
So they made sure it’s pretty easy to get on with. It’s properly roomy, even for three in the back. The cabin has loads of storage spaces and USB ports.
Not that it’s quite like a normal car to drive, mind you.
You don’t start it as such — it simply comes to life when you fasten your seatbelt. You select forward or reverse by a little knob next to the speedo. No handbrake either.
But after the first time, that all feels pretty natural. So does recharging. You do it, at little cost, every 250-odd miles.
The steering is pleasantly accurate, the suspension decently supple and subdued.
Acceleration and braking are so smooth they might as well be operating by thought alone.
Some people want a car that’s more engaging. I do — at least, when I’m not carrying my wife and child. I like the sound of an engine, the feel of the road.
The ID 4 is a mute, unengaging family transit pod. But for most families in most places, that is exactly what’s wanted.
8th
VW ID 3Credit:
8th
VW ID 5Credit:
8th
VW ID BUZZCredit:
8th
SKODA ENYAQ
8th
Cupra BornCredit:
EY FACTS: VOLKSWAGEN ID 4 PRO PERFORMANCE
Price: £46,030
batteries: 77kWh
Power: 204hp, 310Nm
0-62mph: 8.5 sec
Top speed: 99mph
Range: 317 miles
CO2: 0g/km
Out: Now