When Volkswagen (VWAGY) introduced the ID series of electric cars in 2020, the German automaker said ID stood for "intelligent design, identity and visionary technologies".
The ID series is the first group of electric cars from Volkswagen that are built from the ground up to be electric.
Volkswagen
'Serial Defect'
The series has done well for the company. The ID.4, ID.5 and ID.3 were Volkswagen's top selling battery-powered EVs for the first half of 2022.
The ID series has reportedly run into a bit of snag, however, as Volkswagen is reportedly recalling about 10,000 units of the ID.3 and ID.4 electric models worldwide.
The recall was first reported by nextmove, a German electric car rental company, which said there was "a serial defect" in the cells of ID.3 and ID.4 vehicles and that "due to a manufacturing defect, increased self-discharge may occur."
Dealers will contact customers and the defective battery modules will be replaced if necessary.
A Volkswagen spokesperson said the company would be issuing a statement on the recall.
Battery Parts Joint Venture
In April, Volkswagen recalled over 200,000 ID.3 and ID.4 models for a hands-on software installation.
The company recently said it is offering customers in select regions a chance to schedule an in-person test drive of the ID.4 SUV guided by Alexa, Amazon's (AMZN) voice-controlled virtual assistant.
Separately, Volkswagen announced on Sept. 26 a $2.9 billion battery parts joint venture with Belgian materials firm Umicore with a goal of producing battery materials for 2.2 million fully electric cars per year by the end of the decade.
PowerCo, the new battery company of the Volkswagen Group, and Umicore "will collaborate on the sustainable and responsible sourcing of raw materials," the companies said.
Production is scheduled to start in 2025 at Volkswagen's first battery plant in Salzgitter, Germany. Volkswagen has said that it wants at least 70% of its European revenue to come from electric cars by the year 2030.
