Friday 15 November 2013

VW e-Golf spec announced

Volkswagen has released all of the official details of the 2015 VW e-Golf ahead of its debut next week at the LA Auto Show. The zero-emission version of the next-gen Golf, which we saw for the first time at Frankfurt, will go on sale in the US during the fourth quarter of next year.

In place of the new Golf's gas and diesel engines, the 2015 e-Golf gets an electric motor whirring out 115 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque. Juice comes from a 24.2-kWh liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack. These figures (especially torque) are far less than that of theSpark EV (140 hp and 400 lb-ft), so we don't expect it to be as fun in the stoplight-to-stoplight drag, which is backed up by the 0-60 time of 10.4 seconds. There are two driving modes (Eco and Eco+) as well as driver-selectable brake regeneration modes for one-pedal driving. VW pegs the driving range at between 70 and 90 miles.

VW says the e-Golf can be fully recharged in four hours using a dedicated 220-volt wallbox in a garage or carport, while a standard household plug (110 volts) will take about 20 hours; a DC fast-charge option is also available giving the car an 80 percent charge in about 30 minutes.

The e-Golf is easily noticeable from its exterior styling with a unique grille and front fascia, aero-optimized wheels and LED headlights. The cabin also gets a few changes that include a new instrument cluster layout with a touchscreen display that shows a range monitor, energy flow indicator and an e-manager that allows the driver to set future departure times to ensure proper charge. But just in case the battery is depleted, VW still has its customers covered with a unique roadside assistance service. If a customer runs the e-Golf out of power within 100 miles of their home, VW will have the vehicle towed to a nearby charging source at no cost