In between model years, gasoline-powered cars get updates like engine tweaks for added horsepower, new entertainment systems, and retuned transmissions.
Electric cars don’t have engines or transmissions (they do have entertainment systems). But engineers refine them between model years just the same.
Volkswagen’s first dedicated mainstream electric vehicle (EV) is no exception. The 2021 VW ID.4 was a critical success. It was named the International Car of the Year last year thanks to its roomy cabin, excellent safety suite, and the elegant light bar it uses to communicate unobtrusively in the driver’s peripheral vision.
But, with a 260-mile range, it’s in danger of looking outdated already next to competitors like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 (303 miles) and Kia EV6 (310 miles).
So, for 2022, VW engineers have made the ID.4 more efficient. The 2022 model gets a boost to a slightly more competitive 280 miles of range (in rear-wheel-drive form). All-wheel-drive versions get a less-impressive boost, going from 249 miles to 251.
There are no exterior changes to the 2022 ID.4.
Prices go up $765 regardless of trim level. The 2022 model starts at $40,760, plus a $1,195 destination charge.
Fast-charging capacity has also been improved. The 2021 ID.4 could accept 125 kilowatts of power. The 2022 edition will charge at a 135 kW rate. VW hasn’t said what that does to charging times.
Later in 2022, the ID.4 will gain plug-and-charge capability at Electrify America stations. That lets drivers plug in directly, bypassing all the touchscreen inputs, and count on EA charging their account for the juice.
