What's the news?
E-Golf isn't the latest online gaming craze; it is the electric version of the Volkswagen Golf, which is available to order now. There are 24 specialist EV retailers across the UK set up to deal with orders for the battery powered hatchback, which costs £25,845 on the road (£30,845 recommended retail price minus the government's £5,000 grant). The first cars are due to arrive towards the end of June.
A standard domestic three-pin plug and cable is provided, enabling the Golf to be charged from an ordinary household wall socket. From the mains a full charge takes 13 hours, but an optional 3.6kW home charging point, known as a 'wallbox', brings that time down to eight hours. Currently the wallbox is available free from British Gas and all buyers of Volkswagen's electric products qualify for a green electricity tariff through Ecotricity.
The e-Golf is the first Volkswagen to use full LED headlamps, which are said to be brighter and use less electricity than conventional bulbs. There is also a blue strip that runs the width of the radiator grille and a blue-edged VW roundel. Continuing the blue theme inside the colour is used for the upholstery stitching and optional ambient interior lighting.
Equipment levels are based on the Golf SE with the addition of dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors and Discover Pro satellite navigation with an eight-inch touchscreen. For the e-Golf the Discover Pro incorporates a range display and the option to pre-programme the heating or cooling. Smartphone users with Android or iOS can even control the air conditioning remotely as part of a suite of functions in the Volkswagen 'Car Net' app; a three-year subscription to Car Net is included as standard.
Anything else?
An optional heat pump for the heating and air conditioning system saves energy in winter driving. Using heat from ambient air and the drive system to warm the interior, reducing electricity consumption, the system is said to improve the range in cold weather by as much as 20 per cent.
John Lambert - 12 Mar 2014