Volkswagen’s new affordable electric SUV debuts with 265 miles of range [Images]

This one is about a car, not a home upgrade, but it's worth a quick note if you're weighing an electric vehicle alongside other energy plans for your household. Volkswagen has introduced a new electric SUV, the ID. Cross, priced from about $32,000 in Germany, where pre-orders just opened. It's a smaller, budget-friendly EV built on the same platform as VW's ID. Polo, and it comes with two battery options: a 37 kWh pack and a larger 52 kWh pack, giving a top range of about 265 miles.

Charging is fast: the smaller battery can go from 10% to 80% in around 23 minutes, and the larger one in about 24 minutes, using DC fast charging. The bigger-battery version can also tow up to 3,000 pounds, enough for a small boat or trailer. Prices for the higher-output Life and Style trims with the larger battery start around $41,800, with lease offers from about $342 a month plus a down payment. The base Trend model, with the smaller battery, goes on sale in mid-October starting at roughly $32,000.

For now, this is a Europe-only launch, with pricing in euros and sales starting in Germany. There's no word on a US release. If you're thinking about pairing home solar or a level 2 charger with an EV purchase down the road, this gives a sense of where affordable electric SUV pricing is heading, even if this particular model isn't available where you live yet.