370 Mile Electric Cars By 2020 Says VW

Volkswagen will have electric cars with up to 370 miles of range on the market by 2020 says VW’s head of powertrain development, Dr. Heinz-Jakob Neusser. He also says plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and fuel cell vehicles (FCEVs) will only help bridge the gap until electric cars are able to meet the everyday driving needs of the general public and then fade away.

What will make greater driving range possible? Neusser says his company is hard at work finding ways to increase the energy density of its batteries from 25 Ah (ampere hours) today to 37 Ah by 2017. That improvement will allow range to go from 110 miles to 180 miles. The next step is to boost energy density all the way up to 60 Ah, making range up to 370 miles possible. According to Australia’s Motoring, Neusser says “with research will come a completely new electro-chemical chemistry inside the batteries, and this will come at the beginning of the next decade.”

Dr. Neusser sounds very sure of himself and electric cars with 350+ miles of range within the next 5 years is exciting news. I might even be persuaded to trade in my trusty Civic for one. But there are a few hurdles yet to clear before the world embraces electric cars. Infrastructure is one, and costs the other. The Volkswagen e-Golf is the first electric VW for sale in America, and it comes in at a hefty $36,265 but only has an estimated range of between 70 and 90 miles per charge. The infrastructure to recharge these new high power batteries is completely lacking at the present time.

Long range is wonderful to think about, but if the cars that feature such capability cost more than a lightly used Rolls Royce, people like me are going to stick to their used Honda Civics. In the end, it always comes down to money – the difference between what we want and what we can afford. That said, Volkswagen is the peoples’ car after all, and battery prices are expected to continue their downward descent as more investment goes into the technology.

Over on the other side of the world, the Japanese have made a major commitment to fuel cell technology. They are as dismissive of Dr. Neusser’s electric cars as he is of their FCEV’s. Honda has just announced a major new collaboration with SolarCity, the solar panel company co-founded by Elon Musk of Tesla fame. One of the result of that partnership may be a supply of hydrogen from solar power for all the FCEV’s Honda expects to sell.

So if you are a car enthusiasts, buckle your seat belt. We are living in interesting times. About all anyone can say for sure of is that the cars our children and grandchildren drive will be a whole lot different than what’s sitting outside in your driveway right now.

Source: Volkswagen