Longer-range VW EVs Just Around The Corner?

Volkswagen promised a longer-range e-Golf by 2019, but now it seems the company's EV hatch will soon be upgraded to a range of 186 miles in the European cycle, up from 118 miles in the current model. Autocar reports VW has been working on a target of 300 kilometers on a full charge. Volkswagen's technical development boss Frank Welsch told Autocar that the upgraded e-Golf will debut late this year or early next year. The current model has an EPA rating of 83 miles, so the upgrade is likely to work out to about 125 to 140 miles under the U.S. Even with upgrades, the e-Golf is a benchwarmer for another electric model expected in the coming years. At the 2016 Geneva motor show VW CEO Matthias Mueller announced plans for an electric family car with a range of 500 kilometers, or 310 miles, on a full charge. Mueller also boasted recharge times of just 15 minutes, lower pricing than the Golf itself, according to Autocar.

One by one, the new Golf models are becoming available for customer orders. The range is now being completed by the new e-Golf with an all-electric drive system. Compared to its predecessor, the new version offers more power, longer range and extended standard features. Prices for the zero-emission model start at € 35.900 (in Germany). In its new e-Golf, Volkswagen is using a new lithium-ion battery whose energy capacity has been increased from 24.2 kWh to 35.8 kWh. Other new features in the e-Golf are the optional Active Info Display (digital instruments) and the standard 9.2-inch Discover Pro infotainment system that is operated by gesture control. Furthermore, as in all electric models from Volkswagen, it is possible to conveniently access various vehicle functions of the e-Golf via the Car-Net "e-Remote" app. A smartphone or tablet can be used to start or stop the air conditioning or battery charging, for example.

The app even shows the most recent parking location of the e-Golf on a map. In its exterior appearance, the updated e-Golf features modified front and rear ends with new LED headlights and LED tail lights. The e-Golf heats interior air with an electrical heating unit - as in other electric vehicles. It offers the same familiar Golf level of comfort, even at temperatures below freezing. If the user wants to warm up the car while it is charging, utilizing energy from the electrical grid, this can be activated with the "Car-Net e-Remote" remote control app. This function preserves the charge of the high-voltage battery, preserving more energy for driving. The heating system in the e-Golf is an example of how innovative solutions can increase the efficiency of electric vehicles in everyday use - and consequently their driving range. The key concept here is heat pumps: the heat pump principle, which is familiar from energy-efficient buildings, is being used in a vehicle here - the e-Golf. The optional heat pump warms the vehicle interior using ambient air and lost heat from the power unit components. The heat pump that was specially developed for the e-Golf reduces electrical consumption and improves the driving range of the electric Golf perceptibly. 2NEDC: The specified range is the range when running through the cycles of the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) on a rolling road test bed. The actual range may vary from this figure in practice.

Most people know that the word Scirocco derives from the Mediterranean wind which rolls in from the Sahara desert, I'm sure you knew that. Did you also know that the last Volkswagen Scirocco finally rolled off the production line as far back as 1989? Well after an absence of around 19 years the Scirocco is back, some say by popular demand others say that the car manufacturers attempts at recycling has started with just the names! Whatever your view on the matter I think the consensus of opinion is that the return of this sporty hatchback is all together a welcome one. The origins of the Scirocco go back to the early seventies when VW realised they would have to replace the beautiful but rather ageing Karmann Ghia. For this they enlisted the help of the Italian styling guru Giorgetto Giugiaro and so the Scirocco (or Type 53) was born. Production continued until around 1989 by which time a further 290,000 were produced.