Volkswagen launches the battery-electric e-Golf in Germany; “Das e-Auto”

The e-Golf shown at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January. Click to enlarge.

Volkswagen has launched the battery-electric version of the Golf, the e-Golf, in Germany with immediate availability. In launching the new e-Golf, Volkswagen is bringing the most successful European car ever onto the market as a full production electric vehicle. The e-Golf, sporting signature LED headlights, is available from €34,900 (US$47,796), including an 8-year / 160,000-kilometer (99,419-mile) battery warranty.

The launch of the e-Golf marks Volkswagen’s second electric vehicle brought to market inside six months; the first was the e-up!. The e-Golf features low power consumption of 12.7 kWh/100 km (the frugal e-up! offers power consumption of 11.7 kWh/100 km). As a comparison, the Nissan LEAF consumes 15 kWh/100 km (in accordance with UN/ECE Regulation 101).

The e-Golf’s electric motor delivers 85 kW / 115 PS and from a standing start develops maximum torque of 270 N·m (199 lb-ft). The high-performance 12,000-rpm motor and the single-speed EQ270 transmission form a compact unit: the EQ270 also incorporates an integrated differential and an electro-mechanical parking brake. The motor and transmission was developed in-house and is made at Volkswagen’s components plant in Kassel, Germany.

The e-Golf reaches a speed of 60 km/h within 4.2 seconds and 100 km/h after 10.4 seconds.

The Golf A7 was developed from the outset to be a battery electric vehicle. As the Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) architecture that underpins the new Golf A7 is so flexible, Volkswagen was able to integrate the lithium-ion battery in a space-saving frame in the vehicle floor, under the front and rear seats and in the center tunnel. Like the electric motor and the transmission, the battery was also developed in-house at Volkswagen and is made at the company’s facility in Braunschweig, Germany.

The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery accounts for 701 pounds (318 kg) of the e-Golf model’s 3,090-pound (1,402 kg) curb weight. It comprises 264 individual prismatic cells, which are integrated into 27 modules (each with six or twelve cells). Collectively, the cells have a nominal rating of 323 volts, with an overall capacity of 24.2 kWh.

Depending on the nature of the route, driving style and load, the range is between 130 and 190 kilometers (81 and 188 miles). More specifically, Volkswagen says, under the NEDC cycle, the range is 190 km (188 miles); practical range according to Volkswagen is the 130-190 km spread; and in winter operation, the range is expected to be 80-120 km (50-75 miles).

Under the slogan “electrified“, Volkswagen will be launching a series of e-mobility weeks in March on the site of Berlin’s former Tempelhof Airport. Volkswagen will offer a comprehensive overview of Volkswagen capabilities in the field of electrically powered motoring. From 14-16 March, members of the public can avail themselves of the numerous facilities on offer, such as test driving vehicles. The e-mobility weeks will be rounded off with public concerts in the evening.