ID3. Sensors and schematics.
The ID.3 is built on the MEB platform and has a completely new architecture with regard to sensors.
In this article lets cover the following sensors:
What we will cover in this article:
- Radar Sensor
- Front Camera
- Park and steering assist sensors
- Lane change assist control unit
- Speed sensor
- Antenna
- Additional sensors at the front of the car
- Additional sensors at the rear of the car
Radar Sensor
The ID.3 has a radar mounted in the front bumper. This radar allows the car to see the cars infront and calculate the distance to the cars. Radar sensors are nothing particularly new and even the outgoing e-Golf has one. However the part number for the ID.3 radar sensor seems to be unique and not shared with any existing VW car. What this means in terms of the hardware and software capabilities of the radar sensor is not apparent.
As shown in the schematic above the packaging of the sensor on the ID.3 is different from all other VW cars. In the ID.3 the sensor is hidden behind a dedicated sensor panel above the front number plate. This solves a known issue with other VW cars where the sensor would get covered by snow and dirt when driving.
Front Camera
The ID.3 also has a front facing camera that is used by the driver assist systems. As show in the schematic below it is mounted behind the rear view mirror.
Rain and humidity sensor
There is a rain and humidity sensor that is also installed near the rear view mirror, on the windsheild.
Park and steering assist sensors
There are a lot of sensors that support the parking and steering related driver assist systems:
| Item | Description | Part # / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Control unit for park assist | 1,618 NOK ( 1EA919294C) |
| 4,5,14,15 | Sensors | 1,478 NOK ( 5WA919275 ) |
| 9, 13 | Park assist sensors |
Note that there are 2 types of sensors above. 4,5,14,15 are ultrasound distance control sensors (model 7XU ) used to show the distance to objects and walls when parking. 9 and 13 are sensors specifically used for park assist capable ID.3 models. (The park assist sensor is model PR:8A2,8A5** )
⚠️ Not all ID.3 models come with park assist as standard. Current information seems to indicate that even the ID.3 1st edition does not have the park assist feature. ## Lane change assist control unit
The control unit for the lance change assist system is rather oddly located in the rear left of the car. While the part is labeled as a controll unit the location of the part in the body of the car does indicate that it some additional sensor that enables it to detect traffic.
Speed sensor
The ID.3 speed sensor is integrated with the front wheel assembly. It detects the speed of the car by calculating the rotation of the wheel. For assist systems this data is further enhanced using telemetry from the GPS unit.
Antenna
The ID3 has a few different systems that need an antenna to ensure signal strength:
| Item | Description | Part # / Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roof combo antenna | Shark fin type found in many VW models |
| 4 | Aerial for vehicle communication | Perhaps for Car2x ? |
| 6,7 | AM/FM/DAB antenna booster | |
| 9,10 | GSM aerial |
Not sure about item #4 but it could perhaps be used for the Car2x communication? The information that i have acccess to does not make it clear.
Additional sensors at the front of the car
Front Bumper
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 6 | Front left sender for park assist steering on left side of vehicle |
| 7 | Front left parking aid sender - G255 |
| 8 | Front centre left parking aid sender - G254 |
| 9 | Ambient temperature sensor - G17 |
| 10 | Not installed |
| 11 | Adaptive cruise control unit - J428 |
| 12 | Front centre right parking aid sender - G253 |
| 13 | Horn or dual tone horn - H1 |
| 14 | Front right parking aid sender - G252 |
| 15 | Front right sender for park assist steering on right side of vehicle - G569 |
| 16 | Control unit 3 for break-in protection - J1193 |
Under the front bonnet
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 2 | Air quality sensor - G238 |
| 2 | External air quality and air humidity sensor - G935 (models with no heat pump) |
| 3 | Alarm horn - H12 |
| 10 | Crash sensor for front airbag - G190 |
| 13 | Engine sound generator module 1 - RX21 |
| 14 | Front right body acceleration sender - G342 |
| 15 | Turn angle sensor 2 -G1085 |
| 16 | Front right speed sensor - G45 |
| 17 | Front right brake pad wear sender - G35 |
| 19 | Right aerial for entry and start authorisation - R201 |
Additional sensors at the rear of the car
Rear hatch
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Digital radio aerial - R183 - For models with digital radio |
| 2 | High-level brake light bulb - M25 |
| 3 | Radio aerial 2 - R93 |
| 4 | Frequency modulation (FM) frequency filter in negative wire - R178 |
| 5 | Additional aerial for telematics - R90 |
| 6 | Rear lid lock unit - VX25 |
| 7 | Rear lid handle - EX37 |
| 8 | Rear window wiper motor - V12 |
| 9 | Frequency modulation (FM) frequency filter in positive wire - R179 |
Rear bumper
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Control unit 5 for break-in protection - J1195 |
| 2 | Rear right park assist steering sender - G717 - For models with park assist steering |
| 3 | Lane change assist control unit - J769 |
| 4 | Rear fog light - X3 - For right-hand drive models |
| 5 | Rear right parking aid sender - G206 |
| 6 | Rear centre right parking aid sender - G205 |
| 7 | Rear centre left parking aid sender - G204 |
| 8 | Rear fog light - X3 - For left-hand drive models |
| 9 | Lane change assist control unit 2 - J770 |
| 10 | Rear left park assist steering sender - G716 - For models with park assist steering |
| 11 | Control unit 4 for break-in protection - J1194 |
| 12 | Rear left parking aid sender - G203 |
| 13 | LTE aerial 2 - R306 |
| 14 | Left number plate light - X4 |
| 15 | Trailer socket - U10 |
| 16 | Right number plate light - X5 |
Luggage compartment
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Rear belt tensioner igniter on passenger side - N197 - For left-hand drive models |
| 1 | Rear belt tensioner igniter on driver side - N196 - For right-hand drive models |
| 2 | 12 V socket 3 - U19 |
| 3 | Electronically controlled damping control unit - J250 |
| 4 | Parking aid control unit - J446 |
| 5 | Transmission and reception stabilisation control unit - R308 |
| 6 | Right tail light cluster - MX4 |
| 7 | Subwoofer - R211 |
| 8 | Luggage compartment aerial for entry and start system - R137 |
Thoughts and conclusions
There are a lot of unknowns about the ID.3. I hope the above diagrams and information will help shed some light into the hardware that is in the ID.3 but the real question is always going to be how will the software use the sensors and how effective is the final solution. Unfortunately we might have to wait for some real world reviews and analyis before we get a full picture of the ID.3 sensors.
Let us know what you think in the comments below! Usual warnings and caveats apply, there is no guarantee that the above information is correct!
