Volkswagen has announced that the 2015 e-Golf will have a starting price of $35,445 (plus $820 destination charge) when it goes on sale in selected US states in November. The new EV will also lease for $299 per month. Prices for the competing Nissan LEAF range from $29,010 to $35,120; the Ford Focus Electric starts at… Read more »
Volkswagen has announced partnerships with two firms to provide charging services for its new e-Golf EV, which will go on sale in the US later this year as a 2015 model. VW selected Bosch Automotive Service Solutions to supply and install home charging stations for e-Golf buyers, and ChargePoint to provide VW-branded stations to e-Golf… Read more »
The Volkswagen Group is the latest automaker to trumpet a major push into the Chinese market, and electrification is very much a part of its strategy. The Porsche Panamera S E-hybrid is already in showrooms in China, the electric up! and e-Golf will be launched this year, and the Audi A3 e-tron and Golf GTE… Read more »
Does an EV battery pack need a liquid cooling system? Automakers have different opinions. The Tesla Roadster and Model S have ‘em, the Nissan LEAF does not. Volkswagen initially designed its e-Golf with a liquid-cooled battery, but the production e-Golf, which is now on sale in Germany, and will arrive in selected US markets during… Read more »
Volkswagen is bench testing a new battery chemistry that it says could store up to 80 kWh of energy in a similar volume to that of the current eGolf’s 26.5 kWh battery pack, according to VW board member Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser. Speaking at the Geneva Auto Salon, Neusser said that the company has tested lithium-ion… Read more »
The Volkswagen Group plans to electrify more than 40 models over the next few years. Speaking at the Geneva Motor Show, VW Chairman Dr. Martin Winterkorn said that Europe’s largest automaker has increased its R&D expenditure to the record value of €10.2 billion, with the lion’s share going to “green” technologies. VW’s modular Baukästen (assembly… Read more »
Volkswagen will present its new Golf GTE plug-in hybrid at the upcoming Geneva International Motor Show. This is a significant milestone for the European automotive market, as the Continent’s most popular model line will now be available with a range of powertrains (gas, diesel, CNG, PHEV and fully electric). The Golf GTE has a 1.4-liter,… Read more »
Volkswagen Group France has signed a partnership agreement with the Société Nouvelle d’Affinage des Métaux (SNAM) that covers recycling of hybrid and EV batteries from the group’s brands – VW, Audi, SEAT and Škoda. SNAM (a subsidiary of the Floridienne Group) will be responsible for collecting both NiMH and Li-ion batteries from electric and hybrid… Read more »
Volkswagen’s new e-Golf is now on sale in Germany at a price of €34,900 ($47,833.94). It joins the smaller e-Up! which is already at dealerships in several European markets. The Golf is indisputably the most successful European car of all time, with over 30 million sold. If VW is serious about selling the electric version,… Read more »
The German government has set a goal to have one million electric cars on the country’s roads by 2020. “We will make our contribution toward this goal,” Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn told reporters this week. However, according to Bloomberg, Winterkorn said that the goal was feasible only if plug-in hybrids are included in that million-vehicle… Read more »