One of my dreams is to own an all-electric vehicle, but I’ve never actually driven one until my recent trip to attend Volkswagen’s Full-Line Press event in Middleburgh, VA. I, along with two dozen other bloggers, were invited to attend this event and hear about VW’s plans and get a preview of several of their products. For me, this included a short drive in the eGolf electric car through the Virginia countryside.The event was held at the Salamander Resort and Spa in Middleburgh, VA. 450 per night room. The hospitality was 5 star and the Volkswagen folks made us all feel welcomed. I arrived one evening and left the next afternoon. That didn’t leave much time for hands on with the cars, so my total driving consisted of 10 miles with the eGolf and 10 miles in a Jetta TDI. There is nothing too remarkable about driving the Jetta except that it is a diesel-powered car. I’m not a car reviewer by trade, so all I can say is that it handled well and seemed to function like any of the hundreds of vehicles I’ve owned or rented over the years.
What was interesting was how quiet the diesel engine is. The only time I noticed it was when punching the accelerator to merge into traffic and then it really wasn’t annoying. However, my real passion was to get behind the wheel of the all-electric eGolf. Here’s the car I was going to drive, after the fog burned off. But first, before we set out to tour the country side we listened to a marketing presentation by some execs from Volkswagen. They spoke about market share and their commitment to the US market. They lined up the cars and each participant was paired with another participant. Then one of the pair would drive for half of the route and we’d swap for the other half. I drove the first half. Before we hit the road, we were warned several times that the Virginia Police were aggressive in enforcing the speed limit, even on the private property of the hotel.
This made me paranoid for the whole trip and because the pre-planned route took us over small country roads, we drove most of the time no faster than 45 mph. Here’s an interior shot of the car I grabbed from the press kit. VW purposely kept the car true to the Golf line. Both visually and functionally, the eGolf resembles the gas version. I think doing so makes it easier for people to accept a new technology. Driving the eGolf is no different from driving a conventional gas-powered vehicle. Step on the brake; push the start engine button; pull the gear selector to drive and go. What is noticeable is the torque available when you punch the accelerator. This is a benefit of all-electric powered vehicles. A look under the hood. They put the charger port where the gas filler is on the conventional Golf. Would I buy a VW eGolf?
Not yet and here’s why. 820 for destination charges. 500 to have it installed. 7,500 tax credit, but in my case it wouldn’t apply. 1,000 for the charger. All this for a short-range around town compact vehicle. The cost is only part of my concern. The VW eGolf was a pleasure to drive. It was comfortable for the short trip and as expected, amazingly quiet. It had a host of convenience options, but surprisingly no USB ports for charging handheld devices. Even my 4-year-old Fusion Hybrid has those. I’ve asked VW if I could have an eGolf for an extended test, after it’s commercially available in November. This would give me a better idea if it makes sense for someone like me who drives less that 5,000 miles per year, but doesn’t live in Southern California, to purchase one. Until then, I’ll keep the dream of owning an electric vehicle on my bucket list. Source: The trip to this press event was paid for by VW. Please visit their site for more info.
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