REPORT: Volkswagen to launch an electric car by 2013
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In an interview with the German news magazine Stern this week, Volkswagen's R&D boss Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg announced that the automaker would introduce an electric car by 2013. The first model will be in small series production according to Hackenberg and be powered by an electric motor of 81-95 hp, meaning it will likely be a small city car. Other reports indicate that VW will be showing a new electric version of its forthcoming up! micro-car this week in Frankfurt.
Hackenberg highlights the complexity of building an EV that meets all current requirements and expresses some skepticism about being able to achieve a 200-300 mile range in the near term. According to Hackenberg, a 60-70 mile range should be sufficient for most typical drivers. Hackenberg expects internal combustion cars to continue dominating for at least the next 15 years. As part of its move to improve the efficiency of such vehicles, VW will also show a new two-seater that gets 235 mpg (U.S.) in Frankfurt. The seats in the concept are arranged in tandem.
[Source: Stern as translated by Google]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
sensitive_man 12:51PM (9/13/2009)
With VW's track record on electrical system flaws I am not sure I would want to own this car.
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Faye Pearson 1:52PM (9/13/2009)
I think the problem I have with EVs as a consumer is that while manufacturers are keen to flaunt the headline maximum range, they don't give any idea how much range you're likely to get with headlights on, midwinter with the heater and radio on. This is why with a just under 70mi commute I'm not happy about getting a car advertised as 70mi capable.
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jpm 2:12PM (9/13/2009)
Right you are. When and if I ever buy an EV, I would likely get a car with a range 3 x more than I absolutely require. The paddings of specs is out of control these days.
Ray 2:15PM (9/13/2009)
Am I suppose to be impressed by VW? Their CEO says one thing, their R&D boss another. This is just more green washing to get a headline. GM has been doing it since the late 80's. These companies won't do it on there own, they need to be forced by the government. Of Course they may just turn around and sue the government and continue on there dino juice ways. They won't ever offer a viable EV on there own, they are to entrenched with there ICE production and will only give lip service to EV,s. "We cannot make one that will go far, there is no infrastructure, there are no batteries, their is no demand", give me a break you VW loseres. GM built a car 20 years ago that would go over 100 miles with lead acid batteries, 0 -60 in 8 seconds, coefficient drag of .19.... Jerks.
Tesla and other small companies are where the viable EV's will come from as they do not have their nose stuck up the butt of ICE manufacturing profit streams.
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JasonN 2:36PM (9/13/2009)
All my bets are on BYD leading the pack.
gorr 3:38PM (9/13/2009)
I never trusted anyone that say in x number of years we gonna do this or that. This is just a reformed criminal trying to be productive, charming, efficient, attractive, clean, entertaining, etc and he or she promise that he will become this, he need x years to overcome his bad habits and learn to use natural power to do natural interresting something like selling a car that i might go see in a dealership of store near where i live but they will never never do this because they could do this today, yesterday or tomorrow maximum. The way they speak is because they let 1 millions folks do this for them, before them instead of 1 person diciding to put on sale 1 car near where i live or anywhere else if they want.
I don't understand them , why wait 100+ years, pollute the entire planet, spend billions of privatelly own money and trillions of taxmoney, instead of putting 1 green car for sale for cash near where i live so i promise that i will minimum look at the ad in the free internet site that i check often or in my private email box.
One used car fitted with a 700$ compressed natural gas tank plus some fitting plus a small hydrogen home appliance might be the green package that i want, a v8 corvette of a v10 dodge viper or a least a mazda 3 will be seriously consider. This is a buying site where you print the car that you want to buy so for now stop any expenditure toward worn out stuff like all the cars from volkz, gm, ford, toyota, freightliner, caterpillar, john deere, etc. These are cheap offerings because they build the car with a build-in insolube problem and they have to add a catalyzed, programm the car to hypermill instead of accelerating to maximum, they have to pollute even on deceleration except if you agree to pay 10 000$ more for a stupid electric motor like the prius that add nothing more except that it pollute less 5% of the time, LOL. A green car should cost less, drive better, cost nothing to fuel, keep his value, last 20 years without maintenance nor fuel and have the capability to fly over crowded roads.
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EVdriver 3:42PM (9/13/2009)
As ususal, too litle too late from the germans. Forget them.
By the way, this car is for idiots, right? :)
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Brandon 4:10PM (9/13/2009)
yes of course its too little too late :rolleyes: VW is one of only 3 companies that currently sell a car in the US that can get better than 40mpg. They are sooooo far behind and have no idea what the public wants. You guys on here are so out of touch with reality on this board, you think that everyone in America would pay $40k for a electric compact car. The vast majority of americans that want a compact car only want to pay $12k for it. The rest of america wants a midsized or a SUV and only wants to pay $20-30k for it. Until an electic midsized and SUV can get down to the mid $20k level, or an electric compact can get down to the low $10k level, EVs will be in the minority of sales. All the manufacturers know this. For the next 10-15 years at least EVs will be built just to appease the government and pretend like they care about the environment. So all you people that scoff at diesel and improvements to gasoline engine, get used to it as in the near term it is the only way to reduce our consumption.
EVdriver 6:51PM (9/13/2009)
Brandon: We have been listening this argument for more than 10 years now. VW doesn't sell a single hybrid in the US (or anywhere in the world) because they don't have any. Yes, you are absolutely right, the are sooooo far behind in terms of hybrid- and electric car technology. They don't have expertise, experience and mainly they don't have battery manufacturing capacity at all. They're still pushing obsolete diesel technology which is a dead end (requires expensive after treatment which besides negates efficiency advanage as well, their city fuel economy is mediocre at most, even with expensive after treatment their particle emission is very dangerous) while downplaying the inevitable electrification of the transportation sector.
VW dropped the ball very long time ago, so yes, as usual it's too little too late.
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wincros 8:11PM (9/13/2009)
I guess I will have to buy an EV from one of those other companies that did not drop the ball. Oh, that's right. There are none. So far all EVs are vaporware unless your annual income is at least a quarter million dollars, or you spend a lot of time on the golf course.
It does not seem to me that a Jetta TDI getting better fuel economy than a Camry Hybrid or Fusion Hybrid is too shabby. No expensive fluids or special attention required to bring them up to US emissions standards like other diesels either. They just keep dropping the ball. Tsk. Tsk.
I guess my point is that VW is not dropping the ball anymore than anyone else. No one is doing enough fast enough. If we take 50 years to adjust to the situation and that is optimistic considering the rabid opposition we really are doomed to a nasty, brutish future.
XYZ 1:03AM (9/14/2009)
@wincros
Just save your comment you just let loose for another 2 years and then read it again. Let's see if you still think what you're saying is correct with Mits iMiev, Leaf, Peugeot's rebadged iMiev and some others for sale at your local dealership.
wisi 1:15PM (9/14/2009)
You don't really know the Golf MarkII Citystromer, or the MarkIII Citystromer do you? btw: they didn't lease and then crush them... They are still running today ;-)
You probably also never heard of the extensive fleet tests of almost ALL German manufacturers on an island, did you?
BMW was also probably too late, when an electric BMW was leading the runners in the 1972! Olympics? Or did you ever see the BMW E1?
You also never saw any of the cars from VW or Audi getting 70MPG, that they don't sell anymore, because nobody wanted them? Which also involves not knowing about the A4 Hybrid Audi was selling before any Prius hit the Road?
You shouldn't confuse not doing it right now with not knowing how to do it...
XYX 9:22PM (9/14/2009)
There is a huge difference between then and now.
1) The recognition of global warming and the need for action.
2) Generation Y grown up with their battery devices, happy to charge at night.
3) Higher oil price going along with less disposable income.
Anyone pre-ordered the iMiev?
David Robison 2:20AM (9/14/2009)
Well we decided not to wait for the full EV. My husband and I are replacing our dying Camry with an MSEV Miles ZX40S AD (we're in WA state, so we can go up to 35 mph). We're keeping our Subaru for highway/long trips (and when we need to run two cars).
Hopefully the Miles will still be running when it's time for our son to drive ;-) Poor teenager with an MSEV.
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Sam 4:18PM (9/14/2009)
wow, vw is so far behind? 10 years ago vw produced diesels that were more efficient than most of hybrids today. The incompetence on this forum boggles my mind.
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EVdriver 6:49AM (9/15/2009)
Really? Name one!
Sam 1:14PM (9/15/2009)
the 2000 NB TDI could easily achieve 50+ MPG some have reported as high as 60 MPG. It's no clean diesel( before people start slamming that) but Diesel has achieved what current Hybrids are Just NOW achieving in MPG over ten years ago. Now lets not forget what i said as well. Better than MOST of todays hybrids. Hybrids are just catching up to diesel today in terms of fuel efficiency.