Volkswagen will bring its first electric vehicle to the United States in two years. A company official told the NY Times that the e-Golf will go on sale in 2015 as VW is accelerating development of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and EVs.
According to Marc Trahan, executive vice president for Volkswagen of America, the e-Golf may be followed by more electrified models if demand increased. “We want to be the leader in the global context, but other manufacturers have gotten a little ahead of the curve,” Trahan said.
VW has so far relied on diesel technology in the U.S. as a fuel-saving alternative to conventional gasoline engines. It has been quite successful, as more than 70 percent of the diesel vehicles sold this year in the U.S. have been Volkswagens. However, the carmaker’s entry into the electric market shows that VW wants to catch up the delay it has compared to other automakers in this segment.
Trahan said future mainstream models could be adapted for alternative-fuel variants. “We don’t have to have totally different platforms for hybrid or gas or electric models. Whether it’s the Passat or the Beetle, we can react to what the market wants,” he said.
The VW e-Golf is powered by an electric motor developing 85 kW (114hp/115PS) and 270 Nm (199 lb-ft) of torque and has a driving range between 130 km (81 miles) and 190 km (118 miles) on a single charge. The EV can reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from standstill in 10.4 seconds (0-60 km/h in 4.2 seconds).
By Dan Mihalascu
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