VW Golf goes electric

Volkswagen has green-lit an electric version of the Golf small car, and plans to begin selling it in 2014 -- though it probably won't look like the concept car in the photo gallery. The five-door version of the concept car packs a lightweight (80kg) electric motor under the bonnet in place of the normal IC engine, putting power to the front wheels through a single speed transmission. The motor is good for a claimed peak power squirt of 85kW with a continuous flow of 50kW. Peak torque of 270Nm will be available instantly, as is normal with EVs.

VW claims a 0-100 km/h sprint time of 11.8 seconds with a top speed of 135 km/h. The car weighs just 205 kg more than a current five-door Golf BlueMotion TDI with DSG transmission.

Power is to come from a 26.5 kW/h lithium-ion battery with a range of up to 150 km, depending on driving style, conditions and the use of peripherals like air conditioning. With the amount of R&D effort going into battery development, it's likely that by the vehicle's release date this will be substantially better. This is why Volkswagen is waiting until the car's production launch to announce final driving range data of the production version.

The concept car's 315kg power pack divides its 180 Li-ion cells into 30 modules distributed between spaces under the boot floor, under the rear bench seat and in the underbody tunnel beneath the centre console. As a result, the car will retain the Golf's five-seat capacity with a creditable 275 litres of cargo space. The power pack will have its own air-cooling system to ensure thermal stability and the charging interface will sit behind the badge in the grille.

Volkswagen has modified the Golf's interior and instrumentation extensively for the blue-e-motion application -- to deliver unusual flexibility in accommodating individual driver and trip needs. A kilowatt gauge with an integrated range meter replaces the usual tachometer, while the normal fuel gauge goes in favour of a charge-level meter integrated into the speedo.

The car will feature a dial-up regeneration intensity system, allowing drivers to shift between low resistance for better coasting and higher regeneration when air conditioning and other power-hungry peripherals are in use. Active trip profiling will also allow drivers to shift priorities between comfort, dynamics and range. Each profile -- Normal, Comfort+ and Range+ -- presets the motor's power output, maximum speed, air conditioning control, and regeneration patterns

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