VW has already announced that the Volkswagen e-Up! will be on display at the Frankfurt Motor Show alongside the new e-Golf and the Golf R, but the German automaker now offers the full details on the electric mini, claiming the e-Up! is “the most frugal of all battery electric cars”.
The e-Up! has a consumption of 11.7 kWh/100 km, which means that driving 100 kilometers (62 miles) costs just €3.02 ($3.96) in Germany, where 1 kWh averages €0.26 ($0.34).
VW says the low energy consumption is due to a series of factors, including a drag coefficiency of 0.308 (4 percent lower than the base Take Up!), optimized roll resistance (7 percent lower), energy-saving drive system components, regenerative braking system, equipment modules and a newly developed air-conditioning system.
Powered by a 60kW (82PS) and 210Nm (155 lb-ft) electric motor linked to a 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery integrated into the floor between tha axles and a single-speed gearbox, the e-Up! delivers a driving range of between 120 km (74mi) and 160 km (99 miles). However, when temperatures are very low, the range may be below these values.
Able to reach a top speed of 130 km/h (81 mph) and to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 12.4 seconds, the e-Up! offers three different driving style profiles: standard, Eco and Eco+. For short distances, the car stays in standard mode.
When the driver wants to extend the range, the Eco mode restricts the motor to 50 kW (67hp) and also reduces the output of the air-conditioning system and modifies the response curve of the accelerator pedal. The Eco+ mode further limits the motor’s maximum power output to 40 kW (54hp), modifies the performance curve and disables the air conditioning.
The battery can be recharged in 9 hours from a conventional 230-volt socket or in 6 hours from a 3.6 kW wall box. There’s also a combined charging system (CCS) using a DC power supply that allows charging the battery up to 80 percent in just 30 minutes.
The e-Up! tips the scales at 1,139 kg (2,511lbs), 230 kg (507lbs) of which is accounted by the battery. In Germany, the electric city car is priced from a rather hefty €26,900 ($35,295).
By Dan Mihalascu
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