Volkswagen receives 10,000+ pre-orders for ID.3 electric hatchback in first 24 hours

Volkswagen opened up pre-orders for its ID.3 electric hatchback on Wednesday, and the company reports the car has already received more than 10,000 pre-booking registrations across Europe in the first 24 hours of availability.

Prospective customers can register online with a €1,000 deposit for a special edition ID.3 1^ST hatchback. The special edition is being offered for less than €40,000, while the base model ID.3 will sell for less than €30,000.

Those who pre-book the ID.3 1^ST can get free charging for the “first year up to a maximum of 2,000 kWh” at charging networks partnering with VW, including the IONITY network.

Volkswagen is limiting the ID.3 1^ST to 30,000 vehicles, and the carmaker notes interest is “significantly exceeding the brand’s expectations.” Apparently, 10,000 pre-orders in 24 hours has been a bit too much for VW’s systems:

Sometimes, the IT systems are unable to handle the large number of users accessing the system at the same time. This leads to long waiting times and interruptions in the registration process in some markets. Volkswagen is working hard to eliminate the hitches.

For a bit of perspective, Tesla said it had 232,000 pre-orders in 24 hours for its Model 3 in 2016, though those were worldwide numbers. Those reservations required a $1,000 refundable deposit.

Toward Production

In a separate release, Volkswagen said it has already built 200 pre-production models of the ID.3.

The company reports the timeline hasn’t changed for production, noting that the transformation of its Zwickau factory into an electric car plant is on schedule, as is the timeline for ID.3 production. Production of the ID.3 vehicles will start at the end of 2019, but curiously, VW notes that it doesn’t expect to deliver the first vehicles until mid-2020.

The ID.3 1^ST will come with the hatchback’s medium size battery option, with a capacity of 58 kWh for a range of 420 km (261 miles) based on the WLTP standard.

The regular production version of the ID.3 will be offered with three different battery pack options: a 45 kWh, 58 kWh, or 77 kWh battery pack, for a range of 330-550 km, based on the WLTP standard.