German car maker Volkswagen has announced its new electric and hybrid car range will be known as ‘blue-e-motion’ and will sit alongside the company’s existing BlueMotion range of cars.
Volkswagen took the opportunity at a recent electric mobility event in Berlin to unveil the Golf blue-e-motion along with when hybrid and electric versions of its popular range of cars could be expected off the production lines.
First up for the company is the release of its Hybrid Touareg (see article), which is set for a summer 2010 launch, a hybrid Jetta has been pencilled in for a 2012 launch, before being followed by hybrid versions of both the Golf and Passat in 2013.
Also in 2013 the first of the all-electric vehicles will go on sale in the form of the Up! blue-e-motion city car followed closely by the Golf blue-e-motion and the Jetta blue-e-motion.
Volkswagen has decided to develop electric powered versions of its existing models, rather than developing an entirely new platform and the Golf blue-e-motion unveiled had its lithium-ion batteries stored in the boot, under the rear seats and in the transmission tunnel. This means that while the boot space of the Golf has diminished there still remains a useable 279 litres. The electric motor develops 115PS which allows the car to accelerate to 62mph in 11.8 seconds before reaching a top speed of 86mph. Overall the engineers at VW have managed to keep the additional weight down to a minimum, with an overall weight increase of only 205kg over a conventional diesel Golf.
The Golf blue-e-motion will take its next step in 2011 when a fleet of 500 prototypes begin testing in real-world conditions ahead of production starting in 2013.
On unveiling the Golf blue-e-motion, Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG commented: “Future electric cars give us enormous opportunities for reshaping mobility to be even more sustainable. When it comes to the environment, however, we must ensure that the energy used to operate these electric cars is produced from renewable sources. Since automotive manufacturers do not have any influence on the types of power plants that are built, the federal government must ensure that eco-friendly energy sources are utilised. Only then will we experience a genuine transition to a new era.”
