Volkswagen to offer Media Test Drives of All-Electric Golf Blue-e-motion at LA Auto Show

At next week's Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen will offer U.S. media representatives the chance to drive the all-electric Golf blue-e-motion. Based on the five-door version of the German hatch, the Golf blue-e-motion has a 115 hp (85 kW) electric motor, powered by a 26.5 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, and a driving range of up to 150 km (93 miles).

A production version is scheduled for launch in 2013.

The car's 30 battery modules (consisting of 180 lithium cells) are installed in the floor of the boot, under the rear seats and in the center tunnel of the underbody. This way much of the boot space was retained, as useable cargo capacity amounts to 275 liters. However, the weight of the battery pack is another story. It adds a whopping 315 kg (695 lbs) to the car's weight, seemingly crippling it.

Luckily, as with any electric motor, the Golf blue-e-motion has plenty of torque, more precisely 270 Nm (199 lb-ft), so it's capable of completing the 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in 11.8 seconds, while top speed is limited to 135 km/h (84 mph). Granted, that's not a new world record, but, still, it's enough for your everyday commuter's needs.

To extend the range as further as possible, engineers made the car more aerodynamic, reducing the drag coefficient to 0.295. Furthermore, the blue-e-motion can "sail". This occurs when the driver releases the gas pedal. At that moment the torque drops to zero, helping the car coast with the least possible drag, while recovering kinetically generated energy and storing it in the battery pack.

Three driving profiles are available in order to make the blue-e-motion more suited to specific needs. In "Comfort+" mode, full power is used, so the car can reach its top speed. When "Normal" is activated, output drops to 87 hp (65 kW), as does the top speed to 115 km/h (72 mph). In "Range+", the focus is on, well, maximum driving range, so power is limited to 67 hp (50 kW). In this mode, the car's top speed is further reduced (105 km/h or 65 mph) and the air conditioning system is also completely deactivated in order to save battery power.

Compared to a standard Golf, the blue-e-motion has a slightly tweaked exterior with a wider, double-bar grille, LED daytime running lights, black window trim and a roof spoiler.

Inside, it's business as usual, with the usual amenities seen such as eight-way adjustable seats, foldable rear bench and brushed metallic trim inserts.

By Csaba Daradics

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VW Teases Jetta R with 3.6L V6-Powered, All-Wheel-Drive Prototype

Volkswagen's new 2011 Jetta has just landed on European shores, but Germans already have new plans for it. During the European press launch, the media got a taste of the Jetta R with a special prototype fitted with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, six-speed DSG transmission and Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel drive system.

As you can see in the pictures, the V6 prototype's body has not been altered yet. Only the bigger wheels and four-tail pipes at the back signal that there's something going on here.

Should it make into production, you can rest assured that the R division will dress-up the Jetta with a body kit, probably featuring more aggressive spoilers, lowered side sills and other R goodies, plus interior appointments. We reckon racing seats, sportier steering wheels and pedals are safe bets.

The Jetta R should fit snugly in the R line-up, alongside the Golf and Scirocco sports models and the also rumored Polo R. Its future depends on customer feedback: if enough people want it, Volkswagen will make it. Simple as that.

"If there are customers asking for it, we will do it. It wouldn't be a problem for us. The Jetta's platform can take four-wheel drive" VW R&D chief, Ulrich Hackenberg, told Autocar magazine, which managed to snap a shot of the prototype Jetta's V6 powerplant (see here).

It should be noted that the European Jetta has received many upgrades over its American counterpart. These include the use of higher quality and softer materials on the control panel and a more sophisticated four-link suspension system at the back instead of the U.S.-spec model's simple, beam axle setup.

Then again, the base Jetta in Germany, which is powered by a 105HP 1.2-liter TSI petrol, starts at €20,900 (about US$29,435 at today's exchange rates), whereas the entry-level U.S. model with a 115HP 2.0-liter petrol, starts just $15,995 (around €11,400). Guess you get what you pay for...

By Csaba Daradics

Via: Autocar & ANE (sub. req.)

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VW Dung Beetle Makes the Best of Human Waste - No, Seriously

This is the GENeco Bio-Bug, a methane-fueled VW Beetle cabriolet converted by The Greenfuel Company to showcase yet another alternative fuel possibility. Using "specialist equipment", GENeco processes waste using anaerobic digestion. Basically, anything biodegradable is eaten by bugs that, in an oxygen-free environment, release methane.

In order to make that methane usable as biogas (i.e. work without noticeable side effects), the CO2 has to be filtered out.

The firm claims that the Bio-Bug can run for up to 10,000 miles annually using gas collected from just 70 homes. Also, if it were possible to convert all the gas collected from the Avonmouth location, GENeco says it could potentially use this process to reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 19,000 tons.

As GENeco's General Manager Mohammed Saddiq explains, they're working hard at not only giving consumers an alternative now, but also in the future:

"Our site at Avonmouth has been producing biogas for many years which we use to generate electricity to power the site and export to the National Grid. We decided to power a vehicle on the gas offering a sustainable alternative to using fossil fuels.

If you were to drive the car you wouldn't know it was powered by biogas as it performs just like any conventional car. It is probably the most sustainable car around.

Waste flushed down the toilets in homes in the city provides power for the Bio-Bug, but it won't be long before further energy is produced when food waste is recycled at our sewage works. It will mean that both human waste and food waste will be put to good use in a sustainable way that diverts waste from going to landfill."

By Phil Alex

Volkswagen Files Design Patents for Jetta Coupe

Found on the trademark office, are these patent drawings of the Volkswagen Jetta Coupe, or as the German automaker named the concept version of the car at the Detroit Auto Show in January, the NCC (New Compact Coupe).

Those skimming the photos may notice a couple of changes over the concept model that was motivated by a gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain. These include the more production like grille and addition of fog lamps up front, and the visible exhaust tail pipes at the back.

The fact that Volkswagen filed these drawings doesn't guarantee that the company will go ahead and produce what we like to call, the poor-man's Audi A5. However, since Volkswagen has no plans to bring the Scirocco to the States and given that the NCC is more or less a coupe version of the all-new Jetta, we can't see why it shouldn't make it into production. Any thoughts?

VW JETTA COUPE PATENTS

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VW NCC