2017 Volkswagen e-Golf Given Official US EPA Range Rating Of 125 Miles

Following the beginning of orders in Germany, the new 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf has been granted its official US EPA range rating — 125 miles per full charge. That figure represents a roughly 50% increase on the range of previous model years.

Notably, the refreshed model was granted a combined fuel economy rating of 119 MPGe (miles per gallon equivalent) by the EPA, which makes the model one of the most “fuel” efficient vehicles on the US market. It’s actually in a tie with the Chevy Bolt EV, only trailing the Hyundai Ioniq Electric. The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf’s estimated fuel economy for city travel (as determined by the US EPA) is 126 MPGe, and the estimate for highway travel is 109 MPGe.

Pricing information has yet to be revealed for the US market. Sales are expected to begin sometime in late Spring.

As with earlier iterations, if you don’t live in California, you’re likely out of luck if you want the model. The company doesn’t seem particularly interested in selling the model in the broader US market, for whatever reasons.

As we reported previously, the 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf features a 35.8 kilowatt-hour (kWh) battery pack — representing a fairly large increase from the 24.2 kWh battery-packs in use in the model previously.

A 7.2 kW onboard charger is now standard on both SE and SEL Premium trims, it should be noted. Also notable is that DC fast-charging capability is standard on SEL Premium and optional on SE, allowing for a roughly 80% charge in under an hour (presuming a 50 kW fast charging station).

Another notable improvement accompanying the new 2017 iteration is the inclusion of a 100 kW electric motor, rather than the 85 kW electric motors in use in previous model years. The upgrade improves the model’s torque to 214 pound-feet (up from 199 pound-feet) and improves its 0–60 mph acceleration time to 9.6 seconds.

New Volkswagen e-Golf Priced, Comes With 50% Larger Battery

The 2017 Volkswagen e-Golf will go 50% further on a single battery charge. That not surprising, since the battery in the new car is 50% larger — 35.8 kWh versus 24.2 kWh. The EPA has just rated the new e-Golf as having 125 miles of range and an MPGe rating of 119. Assuming 13 cents per kilowatt-hour for electricity, the EPA estimates an annual fuel cost of $550.

Volkswagen has even slipped a more powerful (100 kW, 134 horsepower) electric motor under the bonnet for faster acceleration. The latest e-Golf now needs just a tick more than 9 seconds to get itself up to 60 mph. Top speed is listed as 93 mph. If that seems low, ask yourself, “When was the last time I needed to go faster than 93 miles per hour?”

The 2017 e-Golf comes with other significant upgrades as well. A 7.2 kilowatt charger is now standard equipment on SE and SEL Premium models. That means the battery can be fully charged in less than 6 hours using a Level 2 240 volt charger. Customers can also upgrade to DC fast charging, which charges the battery to 80% range in under an hour.

The latest e-Golf will be in showrooms in the US in the Spring (that means sometime before June 22). While prices for American customers have not been announced, the company said earlier this week that the car would start at €34,900 in Europe. That translates to $36934 at today’s exchange rate or 1 Euro to 1.06 dollars.

This is the third iteration of the electrified Golf. By all reports, it is a competent car. But at just a few dollars less than a Chevy Bolt which has almost 100 more miles of range per battery charge, is it competitive? Most people would be hard pressed to say yes. It’s wonderful that e-Golf is now capable of more well over 100 miles of electric driving. The previous version ran out of electrons at about the 83 mile mark.

It also needs to be said that the Tesla Model 3, due out later this year, will cost about the same as an e-Golf and have more than 200 miles of range. It’s doubtful many Model 3 reservation holders would give up their place in line for an E-Golf today. Volkswagen says it wants to be the world’s leading electric car manufacturer. It is going to have to find a way to squeeze several thousand dollars out of the price of its electric cars to meet that goal.

Source: Volkswagen press release