Volkswagen launches Golf Plus Bi-Fuel in Germany
Volkswagen has added another LPG-fueled model to its lineup with the new Golf Plus BiFuel. Like most other vehicles capable of running on liquified petroleum gas, the Golf has a dual fuel setup that allows the driver to switch over to gasoline if LPG is not available. The use of LPG cuts emissions of carbon dioxide by 10% from 179 g/km with gasoline to 159 g/km and reduces operating costs because LPG gets a tax break in Germany until 2018.
VW has incorporated the LPG tank into the spare tire well of the Golf and its 44-liter capacity allows the car to run about 273 miles on LPG. The 55-liter gasoline tank bumps the total range to nearly 700 miles. Germany has over 4,700 LPG filling stations, making the fuel a more practical alternative than ethanol is in the United States.
Gallery: Volkswagen Golf Plus
[Source: Volkswagen]
New Golf Plus BiFuel now available for order
LPG version reduces CO2 emissions by over 10%
Safer and more durable than conversions
Wolfsburg, 12 June 2009 - The Golf Plus now also runs on LPG. Thanks to the use of this alternative fuel, a reduction of more than 10% in CO2 emissions and fuel savings of €6.10 per 100 kilometres* in LPG mode could also be achieved, due in part to the reduced German fuel tax in place until 2018. All in all, a solid argument.With its bi-fuel drive system – which can run on petrol at the flick of a switch – the new Golf Plus lowers consumption and emissions: the 1.6-litre, four-cylinder engine with 72 kW / 98 PS needs an average of 9.8 litres of LPG per 100 kilometres (159 g/km CO2). When burning petrol, the Golf Plus BiFuel is even more economical (7.5 litres of Super, 179 g/km CO2) over the same distance.
This gives the LPG-powered Golf Plus an environmental edge, namely CO2 emissions more than 10% lower than those of comparable petrol-engined vehicles. The 55-litre petrol tank and the LPG tank, which has a usable volume of 43 litres and is built into the spare wheel well to save space, provide an extended range of more than 1,100 kilometres. The LPG tank alone has a range of about 440 kilometres. LPG filling station coverage is comprehensive in Europe – in Germany alone there are more than 4,700 stations.
The factory-installed solution for the new Golf Plus BiFuel is considerably more advantageous than an LPG conversion: to name just a couple of benefits, the vehicle has been subjected to extensive endurance testing and undergone crash testing with the LPG tank, making it extremely safe. Customers receive a full warranty for the entire vehicle, LPG components included. The new Golf Plus BiFuel is now available for order in the Trendline and Comfortline versions at an entry-level price of €22,460.
Last updated: 9th June 2009 / Average price of LPG per litre in Germany is €0.62
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Snowdog 6:30AM (6/16/2009)
Looks like a better use for Natural Gas than making hydrogen out of it. This way you can have a few LPG pumps where it is readily available, but you can still drive cross country on RUG.
Reply
Carney 5:05PM (6/17/2009)
Anything's better than hydrogen but an even better use for natural gas is to convert it to methanol for use in a fully flex-fueled vehicle. Unlike NG in a bi-fuel car, methanol in an FFV:
is a liquid at normal temperature and pressure;
does not need a separate fuel tank;
can be used in any mix or none at all with gasoline; all handled automatically by the car and transparently to the user.
Also it is much cheaper for an automaker to make a car an FFV than it is to make it "bi-fuel" with NG.
mike 9:56PM (6/17/2009)
LPG is not natural gas. LPG is a product of gasoline but natural gas is methane. LPG system cannot run on methane(natural gas).