FleetDirectory.co.uk report that Volkswagen will launch electric versions of the Golf and up! city car in the UK next year. The e-up! is set to arrive early 2014, followed by the e-Golf mid-2014.
The zero-emission vehicles’ electric motors, gearboxes and lithium-ion batteries have been developed in-house at VW and manufactured at the brand’s large component plants in Germany.
Volkswagen was expected to make its first step into the world of electric motoring with the e-up! but few suspected it to be backed up by an electric Golf so soon after.
The e-Golf [above] will be able to cover up to 118 miles with its 24.2kWh battery fully charged. Its 85kW electric motor can churn out the equivalent of 115PS to allow a 10.4 second 0-62mph sprint with a 80mph electronically limited top speed. The e-Golf boasts impressive energy efficient using 12.7 kWh to travel 62miles at the cost of around £2.84p.
The four-seater e-up! [below] has a maximum range of 99 miles and boasts an 60kW electric motor, producing 82 PS and 210 Nm of instantly available torque, fuelled by a smaller 18.7kWh battery. It can hit 62mph in 12.4 seconds with a 86mph top speed.
With a kerb weight of 1,185kg, the electric up! weighs just 256kg more than its petrol-powered counterpart and costs £2.06p to cover 62 miles.
Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed how many of these electric cars it expects to sell to UK buyers but prices are expected to start from £14k for the e-up! with the £5k plug-in grant applied, while the e-Golf could cost upwards of £22k.
Automatic climate control with parking heater and ventilation, radio-navigation system, windscreen heating, and LED daytime running lights will feature on both models as standard.
Both electric cars will be officially unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show on September 10.
Volkswagen’s first electric cars in numbers
| e-up! | e-Golf | |
| Battery | 18.7kWh | 24.2kWh |
| Maximum range | 99 miles | 118 miles |
| Electric motor | 60 kW / 82 PS | 85 kW / 115 PS |
| 0-62mph time | 12.4 secs | 10.4 secs |
| Top speed | 86mph | 80mph |
| Torque | 210Nm | 270Nm |
| Available | Early 2014 | Mid 2014 |
