Software Issues May Scrub Sales Launch of Volkswagen's Revolutionary EV

Series production of the Volkswagen ID.3 began last November, but examples have yet to reach paying customers. The compact electric hatchback, seen as a people’s car for a new, greener age, is the vanguard of a massive EV product offensive from the auto giant. VW had hoped to give the model (which we won’t see here) a big, showy sales launch.

That launch, scheduled for Europe this summer, may not go ahead as planned. A report out of Germany claims the car contains so many bugs, an army of over 10,000 technicians is now tasked with fixing it.

It’s not the first time we’ve heard of software issues plaguing VW’s first ID-badged model. Reports emerged from Germany in December of “massive” software problems, with production models rolling off the assembly line requiring manual fixes. Now, the window of safety VW built into the model’s production schedule seems to be closing.

As reported by Manager Magazin (via Automotive News), the launch is in jeopardy as workers attempt to plug the many holes in the model’s software. Reportedly, the system controlling the vehicle’s many electric functions came together “too hastily,” leading to the ongoing issue. It seems many areas of the system don’t get along with each other.

The publication claims hundreds of VW test drivers have reported up to 300 errors a day. The ID.3 is VW’s first application of its MEB electric architecture and the software designed to make everything work; later models will include a crossover (ID.4), a microbus, and any number of sedans, SUVs, and perhaps even sports cars.

Following VW’s diesel emissions scandal, the automaker sunk mountains of money transforming itself into the world’s foremost purveyor of electric vehicles. As the first, smallest, and cheapest member of the ID line, the ID.3 has an important role to play. It will be the face of the new Volkswagen; the harbinger of a new era.

Should such problems find their way to the consumer, or if the ID.3 is delayed significantly, the potential for financial damage to VW through a lasting stigma and reduced sales could be enormous. The automaker knows it has to get this vehicle right.

[Image: Volkswagen]