VW keeping things simple for e-Golf

[ColinD]

Volkswagen has resisted the temptation to offer special sales incentives with the all-electric Golf and instead will sell it like any other car. That means there will be no battery-hire scheme like that offered by Renault with its electric models, and no system of credits giving owners access to combustion-engined cars for longer trips, which are available with BMW's i range.

 

 

First deliveries of the e-Golf will begin at the end of this month. Private buyers can get it for £25,845 after the Government's £5,000 low-CO2 grant, or for £229 a month on a PCP plan. There will also a lease plan for business users, although rates have not yet been announced.  

 

"Customers are more likely to be fleets, as with the rest of the Golf range, but sales will probably be in the hundreds rather than the thousands," VW says. "All we are saying is that it will be bigger than the e-up! [the battery-powered version of VW's smallest car which went on sale in January] and we estimated annual volumes of 250 for that."

VW claims that the e-Golf is arriving at just the right time, with a steady increase in the number of public fast-charge points. "It's coming in as the infrastructure is starting to take shape. Fast chargers are the crucial thing," VW says.

 

The e-Golf can be charged to 80 per cent of capacity in just 30 minutes from a fast charger, or to full capacity in eight hours. With a standard domestic plug a full charge takes 13 hours. The batteries are covered by an eight-year or 99,000-mile warranty.

 

VW has a link with British Gas to provide a free home charger, including installation, and also has a deal with Ecotricity to offer its EV customers low-cost carbon-free electricity at home.

Dealers also offer discounted rates on car hire from Europcar if owners need something with a longer range than the e-Golf's claimed 118 miles.

The e-Golf is based on the combustion-engined Golf SE, but with additional equipment. This includes two-zone climate control and sat-nav with additional range information and the option to charge the car remotely using a smartphone.

 

Owners can choose between three levels of brake energy recovery to charge the car on the move, and three driving modes which adjust the performance levels and potential range.

The e-Golf is being sold through the same 24 EV specialist dealers in high-population areas who were entrusted with selling the e-up! 

 

--ends src: headline auto

 

 

What are your thoughts on the e-Golf?

 

The warranty on battery life should give some peace of mind. Buying a second hand one in three years would be scary otherwise.

 

[BossFox]

It's clearly being pitched at the Nissan LEAF as the mid spec one is the same price, base spec £2k cheaper and top spec £2k more expensive than the figures quoted above for the E-Golf.

Nissan only give a 5 year or 60,000 mile battery warranty though so it's nice to see that the Golf will come with a longer battery warranty like the BMW i3.

 

It's worth baring in mind that the E-Golf uses the European standard Rapid charge connector (called CCS) like the BMW i3 and not the same one as the Nissan LEAF.

Which means you can't charge it in as many places currently on a longer trip.

However Ecotricity are rolling out these new chargers quite quickly with 20% of their motorway network already done since January.

The other 80% currently will only charge Nissan and Renaults as they don't cater for the CCS connector.

 

In a lot places that have been upgraded to CCS you have the original charger with two connectors for the Renault ZOE and Nissan LEAF, plus the new CCS charger that caters for all vehicles.

Effectively giving LEAF and ZOE owners a choice of two chargers (better if there is a queue) while all the German electric cars can only use one of them.

 

Worth baring in mind as more and more EVs get sold and bottlenecks start to form on the public Rapid Charging Network.

 

KIA are also due to launch their Soul EV later this year.  With a larger battery pack.

 

I've had a LEAF and we run a few at work.  Overall the Golf is nicer inside and better looking.

 

But I think with batteries getting cheaper they have missed a trick by offering an EV with almost exactly the same battery capacity as the Nissan LEAF that's already been on sale for three years.

They should have made it a little larger to give a real world range of 100 miles or so, rather than 80 as you've been able to buy an EV with that range for three years already and Nissan are doing some daft deals to sell them. (like £4,000 off!)

[jlwah]

The Golf GTE makes more sense, but is still a few months away.

[sparks03]

Kill it. Kill it with fire.

[Dr Zoidberg]

The Golf GTE makes more sense, but is still a few months away.

Yep, a GTE would suit me better. I could do my commute entirely on battery.

[seboni121]

Like it ! But needs more range , what are the cost of charging at home to a full 13 hr charge and how does a diesel golf compare in per mile cost

[lfc958]

On thing that jumped out straight away, is we will have another Betamax v VHS / phone charger connections battle to win the std rapid charging method for EV's.

 

So it will mean an expense to have at present 2, in future possibly more different rapid charge static points ( depending if other manufacturers have different ones again) dotted around the country. 

 

Doesn't exactly inspire people to buy an EV & will probably deter people from buying them :-

 - Is one of their ' type' of rapid charge connection points located within range to complete journeys.

 - ' just in case' they have a car with the wrong connection from the winning std thereby adding additional cost to buy an adapter that will fit.

 

The decision NOT to standardise connections up front in reality will slow down or even grind to a halt sales of EV's because it had just made things more complicated / awkward for individual customers. also in reality would you as a business install multiple connection points to cover the different connections ?

 

Whilst i personally am not a fan of EV's & believe that fuel cell is the way forward this multiple choice / russian roulette purchase of an EV has firmed my conviction towards fuel cells, at least we know there is only 1 std fuel for this - Hydrogen.  

[Dr Zoidberg]

I suspect you might be right about Hydrogen fuel cells being the more viable long term power source, but even so, pure electric cars are a very useful step on the way. A lot of the technology developed for the Leaf, E Golf and so on is still needed for a hydrogen powered car - motors, regenerative braking, battery packs, low power consumption HVAC and so on.

I also expect we will see multi standard charging points being installed in they very near future.

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Does make you wonder if there isn't a market for adapter cables, so it doesn't matter what rapid charge station is free you can use it.

[Huskoda]

Its interesting, but I don't know how this will grow.

 

As said by lfc958, it is ridiculous there isn't a standard charger used by all of them. There is never going to be a quick way to fully charge up electric cars on long journeys as the laws of physics dictate the wiring will have to be able to carry so many amps, regardless of how quickly the batteries themselves charge and how much they store.

 

I'm also unsure about hydrogen, as you can't really store it since it seeps out through the walls of any container you try and store it in.

[Phil-E]

The Tesla Model S is the only current all electric car I can think of that's really suitable for a long journey.

 

Plus their rapid chargers charge at 80amps/240 volts (approx 20kw!).

 

Phil

[Huskoda]

Yeah, the Model S looks like the only one to do things right. However, its absolutely massive. Good job they're making the Model 3, which is more suitable for Europe.

[lfc958]

Dr Z   My point is that if there are multi point stands, wont these be more expensive to produce & install instead of a single standard ?,

 

Also when a manufacturer decides that they dont want to use a type already around there will be the cost to add this new type to the existing stands , or install another one, & while these new points are being installed countrywide, sales of these cars will possibly stall because of this major factor.

[sparks03]

Does make you wonder if there isn't a market for adapter cables, so it doesn't matter what rapid charge station is free you can use it.

 

 There are Chinese ones on Ebay for £4.99...

[Gti Jazz Blue]

Interestingly I am parked next to a Tesla P85 today - arrived at the office and there is one in our car park - must be out on a yacht somewhere - or it is out of charge 

[M12MKD]

I was looking at the Up-E as to be honest an electric car would suit my weekly drive. But I didn't know about the two different points so that it an interesting issue.

 

Currently the Up gets the £5000 government grant, £500 deposit allowance and free insurance. Also in the info it states that they supply the home connection free of charge or at least on quick skim in my lunch break that's how I read it.

 

But it still makes it a very expensive city car. Considering the golf is not that much more for a lot more space and spec!

[cheshire_cat]

take out the cost of the battery +all the golf bits and you are left with a motor, controller and a disgusting profit margin

[bryand]

The Tesla Model S is the only current all electric car I can think of that's really suitable for a long journey.

 

Plus their rapid chargers charge at 80amps/240 volts (approx 20kw!).

 

Phil

Yes, long journeys are a pain with current EVs, but how many of them do you actually do?

How often do you travel more than 80 miles a day?

If I can recharge at home every night (for 2p/mile Economy 7 compared to 11p/mile diesel), I can use a Leaf-style car to do all but the longest of my trips.

 

The big change in battery technologies looks like it will kick in about 2016-17, so now isn't a good time to buy a brand new EV.

But the deals going on 6-month-old ex-demonstrator Leafs mean I'll be having a good look at them, as an interim measure (before I can afford the Tesla that everybody knows I really deserve).

 

Bryan