VW to Debut Golf Blue-E-motion Electric Hatch in 2013

Volkswagen has unveiled a plug-in electric model of the Golf, revealing the lithium-ion battery and zero-emissions technology the automaker plans to install in the production version of the new vehicle. Martin Winterkorn, VW chairman, says the electric Golf will hit showrooms in Germany, North American, and other major markets in 2013.

Known as the Golf Blue-E-Motion, the vehicle is just one part of a sweeping plug-in-vehicle offensive by Volkswagen that will debut similar electric versions of the Chinese-market Lavida and Mexican-built Jetta, set to go on sale in 2013 as well.

Before that time, however, Volkswagen intends to start things off with the debut of the Up Blue-E-Motion, a vehicle Winterkorn describes as a “city specialist” and previewed as a concept vehicle during last year’s motor show in Frankfurt.

Derived from the current sixth-generation Golf, the dealership version of the Blue-E-Motion will comprise part of the seventh generation lineup of Golf models that will hit European showrooms in 2013.

About the Golf Blue-E-Motion

Where VW usually places the Golf’s four-cylinder diesel or gas engine is an electric motor with 115 horsepower. The motor propels the front wheels with a new single-gear gearbox created by Volkswagen and called the MQ210 internally.

Power for the motor is supplied by a lithium-ion battery pack located in the middle tunnel of the vehicle’s floor plan, under the back seat and in the floor of the trunk. With a 26.5 kW-hour capacity, the battery provides the vehicle with a range of 93 miles according to VW. The carmaker will not provide any specifics about recharging yet, but it has asked the German government to encourage renewable energy sources.

With a system similar to that of the hybrid VW Touareg, the VW Golf Blue-E-Motion relies on a separate clutch that decouples the electric motor automatically on a trailing throttle to offer what VW calls a “sailing effect” with minimal mechanical drag.

Weighing in at 3,406 pounds, the Golf Blue-E-Motion is 672 pounds heavier than the existing Golf 1.7 TDI BlueMotion on sale in Europe. On the other hand, Volkswagen suggests a very reasonable performance from the Blue-E-Motion Golf, with a 0-62 mph time of 11.8 seconds and a top speed of 87 mph.

VW reports that it plans to manufacture a fleet with up to 500 prototypes of the Golf Blue-E-Motion for internal tests before launching the production version in 2013, right before the debut of the electric Jetta. There is no word if the new drivetrain will make cheap auto insurance rates easier to receive for buyers.

In a similar program, Volkswagen is working on a new lineup of hybrid models. Started with the Touareg hybrid, it will be expanded to include a hybrid Jetta in 2012 that uses the same system in the Coupe Concept unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show this year.