German Chancellor Angela Merkel and representatives from myriad German automakers met in Berlin last week to initiate the National Electro-Mobility Platform (NEMP). NEMP’s primary goal is to get one million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020. Volkswagen used this event to highlight a concept version of its Golf Blue-e-motion EV. The Golf and Jetta Blue-e-motion EVs will be part of a hybrid and electric vehicle rollout by VW set to begin in 2012.
The VW Golf Blue-e-motion is the automaker’s effort to use popular existing brands as Trojan horses into the post-NEMP marketplace. This EV concept features an 85kW electric motor and a 26.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Volkswagen notes that the Golf Blue-e-motion can travel up to 87 miles per hour and last 93 miles before recharging is required. The latest innovation featured in the Golf Blue-e-motion is the “sailing” mode where drivers can disengage the engine and coast over long stretches of road to conserve fuel. Volkswagen is sticking to the familiar five-seat, five-door Golf design though the battery pack will be in the trunk to ensure adequate seating space.
The VW hybrid and EV rollout plan starts with a large-scale test run in 2011. This testing process will use 500 VW Golf Blue-e-motion units to determine small tweaks needed in the production version. Volkswagen plans to rollout a hybrid version of the Jetta in 2012 and hybrid versions of the Golf and Passat in 2013 throughout the European market. An EV rollout involving the VW Golf Blue-e-motion, the Jetta Blue-e-motion and the Up city EV will take place in Europe by fall 2013. Volkswagen is also releasing its Lavida Blue-e-motion model to Chinese consumers in 2013.
Volkswagen’s leadership role in the NEMP seems to be assured if these plans continue unchanged. The Blue-e-motion models mentioned above can travel well beyond the average commuting distances for German consumers. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, nearly 75% of German drivers travel 30 miles or less roundtrip during their daily commutes. The VW Blue-e-motion family of vehicles will soon be joined by EcoFuel, natural gas and biodiesel models currently in development. As with any EV rollout, Volkswagen is reliant on the German federal government and regional governments to develop adequate infrastructure for public charging.
