Volkswagen begins US E-Golf pilot study

Volkswagen is about to roll out a fleet of prototype Golf EVs across the US for a nine-month viability study. The study will initially deploy 20 E-Golfs, to be distributed between San Francisco, Detroit and Washington DC.

The company says that it ‘will monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns, and energy performance; the data and insights gained during the scheme will be used in the final development of future EV technology applications’.

The company is setting up a dedicated infrastructure for the fleet, extending to 200-volt charge stations in drivers’ home carports.

Each car will come with an iPhone, complete with preinstalled app that talks to the charge stations, allowing remote charge monitoring and activation. All will be connected through a specially developed web portal.

From the outside, the car looks like a stock Golf. But under the bonnet is an 85kW electric motor, while up the back is a 180-cell Li-ion battery pack. Between them, they’ll push the E-Golf to 100 km/h in around 12 seconds and on to a top speed of 135 km/h.

While the company is only offering basic information about the drivetrain, motoring.com.au’s ears pricked up at a couple of specs it shares with the prototype A3 e-tron Audi rolled out in Japan late in 2011. The electric Audi is already undergoing similar testing across the US.

The two share the same torque output of 270Nm, and the same battery capacity of 26.5kWh. Most notably, each also has a multi-level energy regeneration system. This allows drivers to vary the degree to which the system absorbs kinetic energy during deceleration and converts into electrical energy for constant battery top-ups.

Volkswagen’s material mentions three settings, but it’s not mentioned if that includes a zero or ‘off’ position. The Audi has four, allowing you to paddle between 0-1-2-3 settings as you coast uphill, downhill and around corners. The zero switches the system off, offering full roll, from there, it ramps up with each flick of the right-hand paddle. As you paddle up through the settings, resistance grows palpably – enough to factor it into braking once you’re used to it.

No one from either company was able to confirm the similitude of the VW and Audi packages. The most we could get from anyone was the suggestion that it would be ‘pretty silly’ for two brands under the same umbrella to be developing such technologies in isolation. More so with two models built on the same platform.

A VW Australia spokeswoman said the company has no plans to bring the E-Golf down under any time soon.

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