H: How are you finding the charging stations?
DK: We use the Electrify America network which has all the charging stations. There’s over 550 sites right now that allow you to charge the car from 0 to 80 percent in about 38 minutes. But because we roll into the stations far over zero percent and a lot of times we don’t need to fill it to 80 or 100 percent we just stop in those stations for 20 minutes, and get a bite to eat. Just like you would on any other long trip, then we’re back on the road.

H: What has been the most challenging part of the trip so far?
DK: The most challenging part has been to not get lost in your day. We really try to do a lot, see as much as we can see. We’ve been really excited about hitting some of the locations. But we challenge ourselves in the amount of time. We were very ambitious in the places we wanted to visit and the car has delivered. Maybe our bodies have been the limiting factor. You’re in the car a long time, your body tends to get a little tired. Otherwise it hasn’t been much of a challenge really.

H: How is your body handling this trip in that car?
DK: I’m 6’5″ and I’m with a co-driver, Todd, and he’s over 6 feet, so two pretty tall guys in the car and it’s super comfortable. We’ve been using features like the massaging seats which come in the first edition model that we’re driving now. That really keeps us going. There’s also tons of tech in the car, there’s a playlist we have going on in the car, it’s pretty much of a breeze. The drive has been great and you do expect to run into some snafus but there have been none so far. We have a little way to go. We’ll be hitting the West Coast soon but we’re pleased about how well it’s gone and how easy it’s been.

H: What can you tell us about the sales distribution for the ID.4?
DK: The ID.4 came out in Europe first because that’s where it’s built. Now the ID.4s are starting to get delivered globally. It is the first global ZEV new generation electric vehicle and the first deliveries for us have happened over the last few days. We already have customers in this car. What we are looking to do is give them confidence to take this trip. One of the things we did when optioning out this car was to include fast charging capabilities with the vehicle for free. The trip we’re taking right now will cost us nothing.  For all those stops that we’re making over Electrify America there is no cost. We’re trying to promote that as a big reason to go with an ID.4. To be adventurous, to really think about this as a lifestyle.

H: What are the features that would make someone choose this vehicle?
DK: Definitely IQ Drive. The car has some great Driver Assistance features that allow you to stay engaged with the overall experience of the car. It assists you in long driving. It keeps you fresher in long trips.

H: What is the future for electric vehicles at VW?
DK: It’s a new part of our ethos. We’re becoming a brand that will be centered around e-mobility. We have the ID.4 which is a perfect foray into this for the American market.
The compact SUV segment is the number one segment of vehicles purchased for the American consumer so we want to hit the heart of the market. We know there are people out there that are driving competitive brands compact SUVs. They may not have an option when they look at EVs and now we’re really going to come into this space with the best price and answer those questions that keep people from buying an EV until now.

H: Why are consumers hesitant to purchase and drive electric vehicles?
DK: There are probably 3 things:
It’s been the price, it’s been the range, and it’s been the charging piece. Those are the 3 things we solved.
When you look at price the ID.4 starts under $40,000., and that’s before you consider the $7,500. Federal Tax Credit you get. You’re getting the car at $32,500. and that’s not including some State Tax incentives that are there too.
When you look at range you got a 250 mile EPA range and in a lot of our trip we’re doing considerably better than that. And the range is there to.
Once you solve those two the next question is where do I charge it?
You get 3 years of unlimited charging with the car that takes away that concern.
We did a great job at Volkswagen to take away all the obstacles you’re thinking about when transitioning to an electric vehicle. And when you get in it it’s really just so intuitive to use. You don’t need an encyclopedia to figure out how to use an ID.4. You get in it, you drive, it’s fun and you think I’ll never go back (to gas cars).
Once you have driven this car you decide this is the only way I’m gonna go now. It’s more fun,  it’s quick, it’s got everything you need.

H: What happens when you arrive at the charging station?
DK: You pay nothing. What you need is the Electrify America App in your phone, a lot of the locations are big box retailers so they’re at places that are open 24 hours a day. You park at a charging station, get in, you get out, you plug in the vehicle, you open your Electrify America App, you swipe it and charge. It takes less than 60 seconds to do it and then the car is charging very rapidly. It takes from 5% to 80% in 38 minutes.

H: When you’re at 80 percent, how far can you go?
DK: About 210 miles. If you need to take a longer trip you just charge to 100 percent. It takes a bit longer and you get a range of 250 miles or so.

H: What is the future of the brand, are there plans to launch  a certain number of electric vehicles per year?
DK: We have the opportunity to bring back those classic VW models everyone loves. There’s an ID Bug concept that’s out there, we got a lot of concepts out there, so maybe this electrification platform goes back into a vehicle like the VW Bug. Maybe it can be reincarnated into an entirely new thing and bring a new generation to the VW brand. That’s really the point. We’ll look at what we’ve done with the ID Bug concept and then look into the entire lineup of vehicles and consider how we electrify the entirety of the fleet. In terms of plans for future models I can’t go into much detail yet, but I can say there are lots of reasons to be excited about what we’re working on, in terms of our electric vision.

H: How do you come into the brand?
DK: I’m lucky enough to have launched a few electric vehicles before. I’ve worked at VW for 3 years. I’ve worked on electric vehicles for 14 years in total. I’ve been in this space for a long time. I worked at what once was a small electric vehicle startup which is now a much larger company. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
When the opportunity comes to work at one of the largest automakers in the world and make change at a level you can’t do anywhere else, that’s another once in a lifetime opportunity.
For me it was a no-brainer. I’ve had an amazing career working with electric vehicles. The future’s so bright and I’m excited about what VW can bring to the table here. We have the responsibility to do it and we’re putting the investment in it.

H: What is the best part of the job?
DK: This isn’t too bad. Spending a couple of weeks on the road and helping showcase the car, meeting people all over the country, and showing them how easy it is to transition into EV and why this car is a great one to do it. To be able to work on something that you know has a huge impact on the future. I have three kids and you want to be an example to your kids and do things that are going to have an impact in their future. I can say that what I’ve been working on will do that. I think my youngest son who is four has never been in a gas car. When we can live in a world where we are doing all the right things consciously for the planet, for ourselves, for future generations that makes me pretty proud and I’m happy to be a part of that.

Dustin Krause, Volkswagen’s Director of e-Mobility North America

H: Having achieved such a high level position in such a major company, what would you say is your key to success?
DK: I would say keep a beginner’s mindset. This is difficult at a company like this. We’ve been in business for decades and we’ve been doing the same thing for a very long time. I’ve had a lot of experience but I try to take a fresh approach as to how we tackle problems. Be solution oriented. My advice to someone who wants to work in technology is to try to bring a beginner’s mindset to it.

H: Why should someone choose an ID.4?
DK: The ID.4 is the culmination of the best of what VW can bring to a product. Its comfortable, it’s got great quality, great technology, it’s fun to drive, and you don’t have to feel guilty about it. It has great value. There’s something about this car that harkens back to our core mission as a company, which was to bring mobility to the masses. What we can do here is bring electric mobility to the masses and once we can bring people behind the wheel they’ll see that too.
I’m excited to see people experience this car for the first time. I’m seeing it here on the road, it’s starting to draw crowds and people are excited about it and VW is a brand everyone has a story about. If we can rekindle that we have something magical, and I think we do.