Volkswagen of America said Tuesday that it will begin a pilot scheme to test 20 prototype E-Golf Battery Electric Vehicles over a nine-month period in select locations in the U.S.
The E-Golf BEV pilot program will take place in the Detroit Metro, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. markets, beginning in April.
Twelve of the E-Golf BEVs will be allocated to selected Volkswagen employees during the time period. By studying E-Golf use across multiple geographical regions, Volkswagen will monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns, and energy performance; the data and insights gained during the scheme will be used in the final development of future EV technology applications.
In addition to testing the vehicle itself, users will also test specific services designed for the E-Golf. For example, 220-volt charging stations will be installed at the employees’ homes to charge the vehicles.
Each E-Golf will be delivered with an iPhone® and a dedicated app, allowing the user to check the battery’s charging status, regulate the car’s internal temperature, gauge how much charging time is left, or even remotely start the charging procedure. Finally, Volkswagen has set up a web portal dedicated to the fleet test to support the users 24/7 in case of specific questions and in order to allow users to share their feedback on the E-Golf.
“During this test we will examine in detail all the technical and administrative aspects of typical consumers using electric vehicles on an everyday basis,” said Dr Rudolf Krebs, Executive Vice president and Head of Volkswagen Group E-Traction. “For a successful market launch of electric vehicles, the way that home chargers are handled is very important, along with easy access to public charging infrastructure. For the U.S., we also have to recognize the specific legal regulations as well as the different characteristics of the electricity supply: both the reduced 110-volt mains supply and the type of charging plugs.”
The E-Golf looks just like a four-door Golf, with seating for five people. It is driven by an electric motor that delivers a strong 199 pound-feet of torque: power for the electric motor comes from a lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 26.5 kilowatt-hours. The battery itself consists of 180 cells.
The E-Golf has an estimated driving range of 93 miles; however, the specific range will depend on driving style and factors such as the use of air conditioning and heating. The vehicle has a number of features that help ensure energy is preserved while driving: the vehicle can coast whenever the driver releases the accelerator pedal; there are three driving modes; and there are three settings for regenerative braking, where kinetic energy is recaptured into the battery. Charging is accomplished via a plug connector behind the gas cap on the right rear fender.[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]
