First the United States, now Europe. Volkswagen wants to block charging for selected VW ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, and ID.Buzz models to 80 percent capacity.

This saga has no end. Volkswagen Group is preparing to carry out a service campaign in Europe targeting selected units of the Volkswagen ID.3, ID.4, ID.7, ID. Buzz, and Cupra Born models, according to Handelsblatt. The campaign will cover vehicles produced between 2023 and 2025, last up to two years, and interestingly, it will not affect Skoda models despite sharing the same MEB platform and—everything suggests—itself battery cell supplier.

Is the “Volkswagen ID.” line synonymous with one service campaign after another?

First and most importantly, the recall applies only to selected Volkswagen models from the ID series. The list does not include models such as the VW ID.5, Audi Q4 e-tron, the aforementioned Skodas, Cupra Tavascan, Ford Explorer, and Capri, let alone electric vehicles on other platforms (e.g., Porsche Taycan, Audi A6 e-tron, etc.). Buyers of models based on the MEB platform should therefore not feel overly concerned, as it appears the issue affects a relatively limited number of vehicles [hopefully! – editor]. The best option is likely to wait for a statement from the manufacturer/dealer or an software update that aims to reduce the allowable maximum charging level to 80 percent.

Schematic of the VW ID. Buzz GTX; illustration (c) Volkswagen

The manufacturer claims that the Li-ion cells in some ID. series vehicles fail to meet quality standards due to production errors committed by suppliers. In extreme cases, these errors can lead to overheating or even a fire risk within the battery pack. Therefore, Volkswagen recommends charging the batteries to 80 percent to reduce the risk of them being fully charged, with lithium ions overloading the anodes and causing accelerated degradation due to excessive energy stored in one area.

A recall campaign has already begun in the United Kingdom, targeting batteries from a specific supplier produced between 2022 and 2025. The ID. Buzza Cargo is also among the models affected. It is unclear how the manufacturer plans to resolve the issue: whether it will replace entire modules or batteries, or only the cells within individual modules. Electrive reports that total sales of the aforementioned ID. models from 2023 to 2025 amounted to 660,000 units, with nearly one-third of these cars sold in Germany.

Schematic of the Volkswagen ID.4. Illustrative rendering (c) Volkswagen

A similar service action is underway in North America, where the faulty batteries are supplied by SK On’s subsidiary company. In Europe, it is unknown.

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