VW e-Golf was shown at 2013 IAA Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany. (Credit: VW)One of the best selling cars in automotive history, Volkswagen Golf, is now to become an electric vehicle with drive technology that delivers zero tailpipe emissions. Volkswagen is celebrating the world premiere of the e-Golf at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt.
The e-Golf is powered by an 85 kW / 115 PS electric motor. From a standing start the synchronous motor, internally called the EEM 85, develops an impressive maximum torque of 270 N·m. Top performance figures are the result: the Volkswagen reaches a speed of 60 km/h (36 mph) within 4.2 seconds, and after just 10.4 seconds the e-Golf is up to 100 km/h (60 mph). A fascinating factor here is the pull-away performance, which is extremely comfortable and totally free of any delay. On the motorway the top speed levels off, electronically limited, at 140 km/h (84 mph). The e-Golf’s energy consumption is reported to be 12.7 kW/100 km (60 miles) that translates into approximately $4.3 (€3.3) per 100 km.
Depending on route profile, driving style and payload, the driving range is between 130 and 190 km; at very low outdoor temperatures, driving range may lie below these figures. Good range will be ensured not only in fine weather but in the winter too by a newly developed, optional heat pump. Offered as an add-on module for the electric heating (high-voltage heater) and the electric air conditioning compressor, the heat pump utilises both the heat from the ambient air and the heat given off by the drive system components. In this way the high-voltage heater’s consumption of electric power is significantly reduced. Through use of the heat pump the e-Golf’s range increases in winter by up to 20 per cent.
VW e-Golf. (Credit: VW)
The e-Golf has a curb weight of 1,510 kg, of which 318 kg are accounted for by the lithium-ion battery. It is made up of a total of 264 individual cells, which are integrated into 27 modules (each with six or twelve cells). The cells add up to a nominal voltage of 323 V. Battery capacity: 24.2 kWh. The battery is fitted at the front with a battery management controller (BMC), which performs safety diagnosis and monitoring functions and also regulates the temperature balance in the battery junction controller (the interface to the motor’s energy supply). When the car is not in use or in the event of a crash, power from the battery is automatically cut off.
There are several different ways of charging the battery in the e-Golf. As the conventional solution, the charging cable supplied as standard with the car is plugged into a 230-volt mains electrical socket. The battery of the e-Golf is charged in this way at a charge level of 2.3kW of alternating current (AC) from the mains. If it is completely flat, it will be fully charged again within a maximum of 13 hours. As an optional extra Volkswagen is offering a wall box for the garage or carport. This charges at a level of 3.6 kW. If completely flat (which in practice is rare), the battery would thus be fully charged again after around eight hours. There are also public charging stations that ‘refuel’ electric cars at a power level of 3.6 kW. The e-Golf can also optionally be prepared for the combined charging system (CCS) using a DC power supply. In this case the Volkswagen can be recharged via special CCS charging stations at power levels of up to 40 kW, allowing the battery to be charged to 80 per cent in around 30 minutes.
The new e-Golf will go on sale in Europe next spring, and in North America and Asia in late 2014 or early 2015.
Alongside the new Volkswagen e-Golf on Volkswagen’s stand at the Frankfurt motor show was the VW’s e-up!, another electric car we wrote about earlier this year.
