Volkswagen has confirmed a 2014 introduction for the electric-only Golf Blue E-Motion.
The zero-emissions Golf will be powered by an 85kW/270Nm electric motor mounted conventionally under the bonnet and driving the front wheels. Charge for the motor will come from 30 lithium-ion batteries.
Volkswagen has developed a new automatic transmission for the electric Golf – in ‘D’ the driver can select four different modes for different driving characteristics and kinetic energy recharging for the batteries.
Volkswagen says current prototypes of the Golf Blue E-Motion are achieving a maximum range between recharges of 150 kilometres, but the German giant has flagged improvements in battery technology between now and launch should significantly boost that figure. Typical Australian urban-resident motorists drive less than 100 kilometres per day, so realistically, convenient, emissions-free motoring for many of us is achievable.
To plug-in the electric Golf for recharging, you simply flip the front VW logo on the grille to access the plug connector.
The Volkswagen Golf Blue E-Motion is virtually identical to the current Golf with mostly unchanged interior and cargo dimensions (some batteries are stored under the boot floor so the cargo volume is 275-litres). Weight is up by 205kgs over the current turbo-diesel Golf.
Slight aerodynamic improvements have been realized to help the electric Golf achieve a top speed of 135km/h and a zero to 100km/h figure of 11.8 seconds (that’s only half a second slower than the current 1.6-litre turbo-diesel Golf 77TDI).
