Volkswagen ID.LIFE, a new electric crossover prototype focused on urban environments

From the purest sense of driving, the vehicles of the future appear to be more boring, which is due to the fact that we are heading towards a world in which those cars will be able to drive by themselves without the need for our intervention. However, this translates into another way of interacting both with the other occupants and with the vehicle itself when we travel around the city or take a trip.

The idea of Volkswagen regarding the mobility of the future goes in this direction: vehicles that can serve us both for getting around and for enjoying different forms of leisure, whether for playing games, watching films or even relaxing in the middle of nowhere. To this end, the German brand presented the ID.LIFE during the Munich Motor Show, a prototype whose main focus is mobility in urban environments.

The Volkswagen ID.LIFE is presented as a vehicle in which everything unnecessary has been dispensed with, even on the exterior, something that can be seen in the absence of decorative elements or inserts. On the other hand, the use of eco-friendly materials has been favoured, such as the transparent varnish on the bodywork, where wood shavings have been used as a colourant along with an eco-friendly hardener, or the air chamber fabric for the removable roof and the front cover, which are made entirely from recycled PET bottles.

Inside the Volkswagen ID.LIFE, the absence of buttons is also remarkable; instead, we benefit from an authentic digital experience, as it can be turned into a games room or a cinema in seconds thanks to the video console, the projector and a projection screen that can be unfolded over the instrument panel. In addition, the experience can be made even more perfect because the seats, upholstered in eco-friendly material by the way, can be fully folded down to create a bed, so that we can enjoy a starry night if we have the roof open.

Mechanically, Volkswagen has worked on the modular electric drive platform MEB and, although it is a prototype, it is the first vehicle to use this platform and it is front-wheel drive. The power reaching the front axle comes from an electric motor delivering 234 CV, allowing it to accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, together with a 57 kWh battery that gives it a range of 400 km according to the WLTP test cycle.

We will have to keep a close eye on the future of the Volkswagen ID.LIFE, since, according to the brand, it will form the basis of an upcoming ID. family model for the small vehicle segment that will arrive in 2025, and which will also come with an interesting price that would be around 20,000 euros.