The Golf is considered king in his class. But when it comes to e-mobility, the Wolfsburg-based company is not at the top. The Germans prefer Stromer like BMW i3 and Renault Zoe. Perhaps this is related to the VW principle. The then CEO Martin Winterkorn absolutely did not want an electric car that had its own platform and body. Too expensive, too risky. Disadvantage: With the e-Golf, customers cannot make a statement about how environmentally conscious and future-oriented they are on the road. Just like he could do with an i3, for example.
Nothing will change about that with the latest facelift, which Volkswagen is donating to its electric golf, available from 35.900 euros, after almost three years. The quiet and emission-free electric drive can only be recognized by the blue trim strips in the now standard LED headlights. The major change takes place under the sheet. It applies to the battery. Their capacity increases from 24,2 to 35,8 kWh, thus by almost 50 percent. Accordingly, the range changes, which VW now specifies with 300 instead of previously 190 kilometers.
Of course everyone knows that this NEDC value is a laboratory result under the best conditions. The reality is different. And in Wolfsburg you don't want to talk them over. The marketing strategists call it "customer-relevant annual mean". What is meant is: depending on driving style, weather and the use of heating or air conditioning, the range is around 200 kilometers. "This makes the new e-Golf a very environmentally friendly alternative for almost all professional commuters," says Jonas Tousen, from the Electric Drives Development department. We were not able to try this out when we presented the new e-Golf because the test track was too short. Our on-board computer showed 15,8 kWh per 100 kilometers in normal driving style (standard consumption: 12,7 kWh / 100 km). However, this actually indicates a range of 200 kilometers.
For better efficiency, a second innovation should also contribute: the navigation system. It uses the route data to save power. For example, if a curve, a junction, a roundabout or a new speed limit, the message "foot off the gas" appears in the display even before the driver detects the traffic change.
Change number three: the electric motor. Previously, 85 kW / 115 PS had to worry about the at least 1,6 tons heavy e-Golf (alone the battery weighs 345 kilograms), now it's 100 kW / 136 PS. Of course, this does not allow for the liveliness of a BMW i3, but it's enough to be on the move. In any case, the pure performance of an electric car is ultimately not that important. Importance should be given to the torque. It rose from 270 to 290 Newtonmeter. That's more than the engine of a Golf 1.8 TSI puts on the crankshaft. And with an electric motor, the torque is due to physical reasons immediately, practically from the first revolution.
Not least because of this, electric cars are so much fun, especially in the city. No other engine offers a better, more consistent and still quieter initial acceleration. After just 6,9 seconds, the e-Golf Tempo reaches 80, after 9,6 seconds 100 km / h are reached. At 150 km / h, however, VW has limited the maximum speed. In addition, the power consumption would rise rapidly.
Similarly, the range eats the heat of an electric car in winter. The engineers therefore developed a heat pump. It uses both the heat from the ambient air and the waste heat of the drive components. VW says the range would increase by as much as 30 percent compared to a conventional heating system.
As great as the larger battery may be with regard to the range in the new e-Golf, it is so detrimental if you only have a normal socket (2,3 kW) at home for charging. Then it takes the filling of the empty batteries over 15 hours. So, if you arrive late in the evening and have to leave early in the morning, the battery will only be half full. It makes sense, of course, a wallbox. It can provide a maximum of eleven kilowatts, but costs around 900 Euro plus installation by an electrician.
Public charging stations can sometimes push up to 40 kW direct current into the battery, which would reduce the charging process to less than an hour. To make charging on the go as easy as possible, VW offers a so-called Charge & Fuel Card. Direct current (DC) costs 11,90 euros per hour via them, alternating current (AC) costs 0,95 euros / h with billing to the minute. An app for smartphones reveals where the charging stations in question (around 4.000 in Germany) are located.
The e-Golf is unbeatable when it comes to customer service. Drivers of electric cars know the dilemma. If you have to go a little further away, even the largest battery is not enough. Usually you have to take a rental car or - if available - the first car in the household. At VW, all buyers of an e-Golf receive a rental car from Volkswagen's current model portfolio free of charge for up to 30 days a year in the first two years after approval. The only exception is the Touareg.
The rental period results in the free kilometers. The e-Golf buyer has the choice of spending just a day or a week, or even the full 30 days. If he wants the latter, for example, to go on vacation, 4.000 free kilometers are in it.
And in whose driving profile the battery electric mobility does not fit at all, VW still offers the Golf GTE. Motto: If not already full, then at least a bit. The plug-in hybrid version still has a normal combustion engine (1,4-liter TSI) under the hood, but at the same time also an electric machine. Ideal for short trips to shopping or the daily walk to the office. After all: The battery in the rear of the car provides power for well 50 kilometers. Only then would the combustor switch on. Together, they both deliver hefty 150 kW / 204 horsepower, making the Golf GTE one of the sportiest agents among its brothers. In order to make the part-time electricity efficient in everyday life, VW has also developed a new hybrid strategy. It now incorporates GPS and route data into the regulation. The navigation recognizes, for example, when an intersection comes, whether it goes downhill behind the crest, whether a speed limit or a town follows. The pressure to use the energy from the battery as economically as possible, therefore, has a pleasant side effect: The manufacturers incorporate more and more appropriate smart solutions in their e-cars. (Michael Specht / SP-X)