Wednesday, July 2, 2008

VW Golf TwinDrive: Inside report

VW Golf TwinDrive

VW's been toying with electric vehicles for some time now — there have been full electric CityStromer models sold to the public in Europe, based on both the MK2 and MK3 Golfs, that can drive on full electric power for over 60 miles at speeds up to 100 mph. There have been 1.4-liter parallel TDI hybrids (like Toyota's Prius) running around labs since the '90s, and they even dangled that delicious TDI Hybrid Golf carrot in front of us at Geneva.

It shouldn't really come as a surprise to learn that yet another electric model has come out of Wolfsburg - this time an extended-range electric car similar in concept to Chevy's Volt. It's called the Golf TwinDrive, and it's based on a standard-issue MK5 Golf, except with a 122-horsepower TDI engine and an 82-horsepower electric motor under its hood.

Unlike a normal hybrid, where the electric motor exists to supplement the power being delivered by the internal combustion engine, the Golf TwinDrive relies on its electric motor for its primary propulsion, and the diesel engine exists to take over once the electric motor has depleted its batteries. The diesel engine will also be equipped with start-stop technology to prevent wasting fuel in stop-and-go traffic, and regenerative braking will help recharge the electric motor's battery pack using otherwise wasted interia while the car is stopping. The Golf TwinDrive uses lithium-ion batteries, the technology for which is being further developed thanks to a $769 million, seven-year partnership with Sanyo, and VW's estimates show that the battery pack, which is located under the rear cargo area where the spare tire normally sits, is good for 31 miles of all-electric motoring.

Beginning in 2010, VW and the German federal government are going to launch a four-year durability test with a fleet of 25 Golf TwinDrives. As an added bonus, the government is cutting a consortium of research and development companies, including Volkswagen, battery manufacturers, and universities, a $23.5 million check to help put the spurs to electric vehicle development.

Source: vwvortex.com

3 comments:

Mr. Nissan said...

This new VW Golf looks much better than the previous model

Anonymous said...

Very nice post. I really like this new VW Gold compared to the previous model.. The design looks much better..

Anonymous said...

New models always will have better performance, better looks and obviously better technology

Cheers

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