On September 1st, the ŠKODA ENYAQ iV will have its first 15 minutes of fame at its world premiere in Prague, the Czech Republic.
The who? Oh, yeah, if you don’t follow the electric vehicle market closely, and especially if you are an American still trying to figure out what a ŠKODA is, you may not be familiar with the ENYAQ iV. So let’s dive in.
We have covered the ENYAQ a few times, most notably in May in an article about the Volkswagen MEB platform and in a subsequent CleanTechnica.TV news show exploring the car a bit more.
There will be three battery options available on the ENYAQ iV:
Smallest Battery
- Total capacity: 55 kWh
- Usable capacity: 52 kWh (94%)
- Modules: 8
- Cells: 192
- Total Cell Weight: 206 kg
Medium Battery
- Total capacity: 62 kWh
- Usable capacity: 58 kWh (94%)
- Modules: 9
- Cells: 216
- Total cell weight: 232 kg
Largest Battery
- Total capacity: 82 kWh
- Usable capacity: 77 kWh (94%)
- Modules: 12
- Cells: 288
- Total cell weight: 309 kg
There will also be rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. “The cars come with an 11 kW onboard charger and can obtain an 80% recharge in 40 minutes using a 125 kW Level 3 charger.”
This will be a rather competitive crossover/SUV with a lot of different options for different consumers and potential to help disrupt the fossil fueled crossover/SUV market. We’re still waiting on price to see how much potential it has, but ŠKODA seems to be excited about the potential. CEO Bernhard Maier says:
“The ENYAQ iV marks the beginning of a new era for ŠKODA, it is the figurehead of our E-Mobility campaign. With it, we’re making E-Mobility Simply Clever thanks to long ranges and short charging times. At the same time, the ENYAQ iV takes ŠKODA-typical virtues such as superior interior space, a trendsetting design and maximum functionality to a new level. Our first all-electric e-model based on Volkswagen Group’s modular electric car platform will be built at our main plant in Mladá Boleslav, at the heart of ŠKODA. This is an important step towards securing the future of the location and safeguarding jobs in the region.”
This article was stimulated by an interesting comment on an article yesterday. First of all, the commenter informed me of the September 1st reveal date and some new teaser images, neither of which had crossed my desk. Secondly, more intriguing for me, he wrote, “VW agreed to let Skoda have their presentation before the ID.4, which is uncommon. Traditionally VW shows their version first but now they wait until the week of the 23. September to reveal the ID.4.” Why would Volkswagen Group go this route?
My guess is that Volkswagen already has a ton of press around the ID lineup, and is known to be one of the most aggressive traditional OEMs when it comes to electrification, but people may still wonder how much certain sub-brands like ŠKODA care about going electric. Bringing extra attention to the ENYAQ and letting it have its world premiere before the ID.4 has one gives it more room to shine and stimulate the idea that ŠKODA is also super serious about electrification. That’s just my hunch, though.
The ENYAQ iV’s key defining feature may be its lighting. On its special page, the second sentence says, “Full LED matrix headlights emphasise the innovative character of the new SUV model.” The paragraph right after that also highlights lighting (no pun intended):
“With the ENYAQ iV, ŠKODA is taking another leap into the era of electric mobility. The Czech car manufacturer’s first all-electric SUV also takes a fresh approach to lighting design, combining technically innovative full-LED matrix headlights with an emotive design language.“
There’s an interview with Chief Designer Petr Nevřela near the top of the page and it’s focused on lighting.
There are also segments covering the ENYAQ iV’s name, charging, battery and powertrain options, and the interior. You can click over to the website if all of that interests you.
In the meantime, look at the pictures above and below and tell me if the ENYAQ isn’t going to be a hit in Europe.
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