Official VW e-Golf thread - $29,815

[RonDawg]

I've nothing against Spark EV (or Fit EV), the car. But I don't like the OEMs that make them - because I judge them by their "character". Compliance EV = a big middle finger to EVs.

Manufacturer intent is what I think makes a compliance car or not. That's why I don't think the Leaf is a compliance car, but the 500e and the Fit EV certainly are, even if they are superior to the ICE versions or even the Leaf for that matter.

Sergio Marchionne has made it very clear that the 500e exists only to satisfy CARB regulations, and that his company loses money on every single one. No doubt about the 500e being a compliance car.

 

[TonyWilliams]

A compliance car is one that earns credits from CARB for complying with CARB-ZEV, credits that can be sold to other car manufacturers. So, all EVs are compliance cars - including all Teslas and the Mitsubishi imiev because of those credits they earn for their maker.

The compliance is to enable the sale of cars that emit emissions. Tesla doesn't sell an oil car, and Mitsubishi is too small to meet the regulations.

 

[Berlino]

http://www.greencarreports.com/news...ric-car-live-gallery-2013-frankfurt-auto-show

What surprises me in the article:

Charging from a standard European 230-volt outlet takes 16 hours

Shouldn't 230 volts provide a faster charge? What are they, six Amps!???

Volkswagen will also install 3.6-kW charging stations in customers' homes, shortening charging time to 10 hours.


Is this at VW's expense? Is that the limit of the MY15 e-Golf's charger? Seems like a step back to 2012.

 

[JeremyW]

Seems like a step back to 2012.

Seriously. Faster L2 is such a game changer. Suddenly I can gain a substantial amount of range over lunch, a movie, shopping, etc. A full charge for me takes about three hours. I've actually started charging more at my destinations instead of stopping as much to quick charge. Even though I've lost noticeable capacity, I feel that my car has a lot more utility now. If a quick charger is down I am not stuck somewhere "forever."

Looking at it from design perspective, it would seem much easier and cheaper to add more charger instead of more battery. Obviously though we want more of both! VW made a 2011 leaf clone. Woo. I'm sure the battery will last longer, but they're seriously four years behind. Remember this is not getting here till late 2014 or 2015.

It looks like the J1772 plug is on the back passenger fender. Groan. It should be on the nose or drivers front fender!

I do like the adjustable regen paddles and it sounds like it can be cranked up to Active E levels.

 

[surfingslovak]

Seriously. Faster L2 is such a game changer. Suddenly I can gain a substantial amount of range over lunch, a movie, shopping, etc. A full charge for me takes about three hours. I've actually started charging more at my destinations instead of stopping as much to quick charge. Even though I've lost noticeable capacity, I feel that my car has a lot more utility now. If a quick charger is down I am not stuck somewhere "forever."

Good point! That said, this sounds like the European spec of the e-Golf, and it might be good to take that with a grain of salt. There was a similar debate on the German i3 forum. It looks like BMW planned to release the i3 with a 3.3 kW onboard charger in Germany, but they would double that in the US. The KLE, as BMW calls it, was designed the same way in the ActiveE. It consisted of two separate modules connected in parallel. This tactic is presumably used to save cost, and to make the cars sold in Europe cheaper. Although 230V is quite pervasive in Europe, the maximum allowed current is fairly low. Keep in mind that these are essentially their wall outlets. Three-phase AC is quite common there, and that's typically the high-power source in a residence or an office building. Single-phase loads are usually kept pretty low.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQInCURZbuk[/youtube]

 

[LKK]

VW wants to become a leader in vehicle electrification. Unfortunately they feel the range of BEVs are problematic, so they think the real solution is plug-in hybrids.

http://www.plugincars.com/vw-ev-chief-we-want-lead-electrification-125999.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So it appears thar the E-Golf is only an interim solution. It seems to me VW might be a little late to the party, and as technology and the infrastructures improves, range is less of a problem.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
On this note, I'd heard about this elsewhere:

Volkswagen Will Be The Biggest Electric-Car Maker In 2018, It Says:
http://theelectricgeneration.org/articles/news/volkswagen-will-be-the-biggest-electric-car-maker-in-2018-it-says/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

As a group, German automakers have not been at the front of the move toward plug-in electric cars.

Nonetheless, Volkswagen Group will be the world leader in electric and hybrid cars by 2018.

It says.

The bold claim came not from an offhand comment by an executive at this week’s Frankfurt Auto Show, but in a press release announcing that the VW Group had set its “sights on market leadership in electric mobility by 2018.”

“We are starting at exactly the right time,” said Group CEO Martin Winterkorn before the show.

“We are electrifying all vehicle classes, and therefore have everything we need to make the Volkswagen Group the top automaker in all respects, including electric mobility, by 2018.”

14 hybrids, electrics next year
And, he noted, the company will sell 14 hybrid and electric models by the end of next year....

LOL! Pipe dreams indeed.

 

[surfingslovak]

Found this recent video, which showcases available charging methods on a German preproduction prototype.


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMIhovvcqh8[/youtube]

 

[toasty]

 

[RegGuheert]

"Now kids, be sure to put the batteries in the car THE RIGHT WAY before you drive it. I don't want what happened to Uncle Fred's car to happen here!"

 

[redLEAF]

(different model than the Golf-e so decided on a new thread; yet another VW PHEV variant)

Took elements from the new Jetta Hybrid -- gotta love the charge port behind the VW badge but of course the graphics on the side give it away as well as no QC port just like the Audi A3 e-tron as well as same expected range (31 miles)

http://www.autoweek.com/article/20131205/carreviews/131209919#ixzz2mi9HBD9P

 

[o00scorpion00o]

Just released in Germany.

http://www.electric-vehiclenews.com/

http://insideevs.com/volkswagen-lau...uros-in-germany-undercuts-bmw-i3-by-50-euros/

34,900 in Germany, as they have 0 incentives for electrics and about 29,990 Here in Ireland with 5,000 Euro rebate. Though the price for here hasn't been announced yet.

SO it's around the same price as the I3 but the I3 is 7.2 seconds 0-100 kph V 10.4 for the Golf.

It's rather strange that after 3 years 3 months since the release of the Leaf that VW and BMW can only make a car with similar range to the leaf and more expensive.

Does anyone know if the I3 or E-Golf battery can be heated ?

I don't know if there is any reason for someone to spend more on the Golf than a leaf ? someone might justify the I3 price because it's a lot faster 0-100 kph.

 

[TomT]

Again, I believe it because of how the CARB credits are structured... There is no incentive to go over 100 unless you go way over.
I still believe it to be a scam on the part of the manufactures...

It's rather strange that after 3 years 3 months since the release of the Leaf that VW and BMW can only make a car with similar range to the leaf and more expensive.

 

[o00scorpion00o]

Again, I believe it because of how the CARB credits are structured... There is no incentive to go over 100 unless you go way over.
I still believe it to be a scam on the part of the manufactures...

It's rather strange that after 3 years 3 months since the release of the Leaf that VW and BMW can only make a car with similar range to the leaf and more expensive.

Or could it be that the German car makers just do not care about electrics ? I mean they're doing just fine without having to worry about spending billions on R&D, I mean sticking an ICE in a car makes them billions so why should they bother ?

But yeah, I believe there is something going on, I don't believe batteries are so big and expensive as to prevent a decent 30-40 Kwh at this time.

I do believe car makers and possibly battery makers are keeping prices artificially high so they can reap as much profit from the tax payer through Government incentives.

The Irish Government alone is giving 5,000 towards the price of a new EV and then another 5,000 deduction on V.R.T ( a fancy name for a super tax ) so I believe the incentives are what's keeping prices high to begin with ? could I be wrong ?

 

[Ogi]

VW will sell a lot of these in Norway and probably almost none anywhere else. Electrics are strong there and the ICE Golf is also very strong there, so the combination of the two. But that's a tiny market.

Shameful they refused to put decent range in the thing. At that range it is basically a utilitarian city car and nothing more, yet as said above the Leaf is cheaper. Leaf is also more roomy inside for passengers than the Golf actually. So good luck to VW on this one.

 

[Devin]

Ruh-roh: VW decides against active-cooling system for e-Golf lithium battery.

 

[mwalsh]

Ruh-roh: VW decides against active-cooling system for e-Golf lithium battery.

YIKES!

 

[DaveEV]

Keep in mind that NMC is much different than the LMO the LEAF has - it has much better durability.

I wouldn't be surprised if the "hot" battery for the LEAF (due in the next month) is a NMC chemistry rather than LMO w/different additives.

 

[kmp647]

I find it hard to believ the cells wont suffer some extra degradation or damage in Arizona usage.

Hey at least VW has no worries about anyone fast charging in Arizona or just about anywhere else for that matter.

we wont see anyone spiking the battery temp gauge from repeated fast charges on a CCS unless they are going in a big loop around the one compatible charger in San Diego!

 

[DaveEV]

I find it hard to believ the cells wont suffer some extra degradation or damage in Arizona usage.

No matter how heat tolerate the battery is, it will lose capacity faster in hot weather to the tune of Arrhenius' equation. The question is whether or not significant the calendar related capacity loss will be compared to cycle related capacity loss.