The new e-up!

Key Aspects

From the middle of October Volkswagen will be supercharging its model range with an extremely efficient electric vehicle – the new e-up!. Creating a double impact on the e-mobility stage, the four-door city specialist will be followed just a few months later, in spring 2014, by a further zero-emissions Volkswagen: the e-Golf. Both electric cars will make their debuts at the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt (10th to 22nd September), heralding the era of full-production e-mobility for Volkswagen. Henceforth Volkswagen will thus be offering in its vehicles every form of drive system relevant in the world today.

e-up! – battery electric Volkswagen sets efficiency benchmarks with consumption of 11.7 kWh/100 km

Low ‘fuel costs'. The launch of the e-up! marks the introduction of a next generation electric vehicle that thanks to an armada of innovative detailed solutions uses energy extremely economically. The e-up! consumes, for instance, just 11.7 kWh/100 km. It is thus the efficiency world champion. At an average electricity price of 25.8 cents (Germany, 2013), driving 100 kilometres costs just €3.02.

Great efficiency. The pioneering efficiency of the e-up! is attributable to the very good cw value for a car of this size of 0.308 (4 per cent lower than the take up!), optimised roll resistance (7 per cent lower), the generally energy-saving drive system components, the highly effective regenerative braking system, innovative equipment modules and a newly developed, particularly efficient air-conditioning system.

Innovative engineering. A compact electric motor (60 kW / 82 PS), the lithium-ion battery integrated into the floor between the axles and the power electronics form the hub of the new high-tech car's drive system. The electric motor's power is transferred to the front wheels via a single-speed gearbox.

Up to 160 kilometres. Delivering 60 kW / 82 PS and with a top speed of 130 km/h, the e-up! has a range, dependent on driving style and payload, of between 120 and 160 km; at very low outdoor temperatures the range may lie below these values. This range works especially well in urban areas and for the majority of commuters. In Germany, for example, research by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development found that around 80 per cent of all car drivers in the country, from commuters to motorists making lots of journeys, drive less than 50 kilometres a day.

Two economy profiles: ‘Eco' and ‘Eco+'. The range of the e-up! can be varied via three different driving style profiles: the standard mode (automatically on), ‘Eco' and ‘Eco+'. Anyone nipping around travelling short distances, will stay in standard mode. For drivers wanting to extend the range, the first option is the ‘Eco' mode. The effects of selecting this mode include paring back the e-vehicle's maximum power output to 50 kW. In parallel with that the electronics reduce the output of the air-conditioning system and modify the response curve of the accelerator pedal. In ‘Eco+' mode the electronics limit maximum power output to 40 kW, modify the performance response curve and disable the air conditioning. In the ‘Eco' and ‘Eco+' modes the top speed is also reduced.

Regenerative braking in D1, D2, D3 and B. Over and above the driving style modes the range of the e-up! can be influenced via the regenerative braking function. There are no fewer than five levels available: ‘D' (regeneration only when using the brake), ‘D1', ‘D2', ‘D3' and ‘B'. In an electric car this number of levels leads to a different way of driving. By means of regenerative braking drivers can appreciably slow down the e-up! by lifting their foot off the accelerator. Used in an anticipatory way, regenerative braking thus replaces use of the brake pedal in many situations. At levels ‘D2', ‘D3' and ‘B', the deceleration via regenerative braking is so strong that in this case the brake lights automatically come on. If the battery is fully charged, no regenerative braking occurs.

Great agility. After 4.9 seconds the e-up! is going at a speed of 60 km/h; within 12.4 seconds it's 100 km/h. In 10.5 seconds it accelerates from 80 to 120 km/h. Top speed is 130 km/h. By way of comparison: the most powerful conventional e-up! (with 55 kW / 75 PS) accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 13.2 seconds and from 80 to 120 km/h in fourth gear in15.5 seconds. The comparison shows that the e-up! simply blows away prejudiced views about the performance of electric cars and makes a very strong case for itself as the ideal vehicle for inner-city motoring.

Battery in the vehicle floor. The e-up! weighs 1,139 kg. Some 230 kg of that is accounted for by the lithium-ion battery. The fact that this battery lies flat within the floor of the car greatly lowers its centre of gravity and, especially in combination with the high starting torque of 210 newton metres, makes the handling feel extremely agile.

Plugs, wall box and charging stations. To recharge the e-up! you simply connect it to the mains. There are various ways that this is done: the simplest option is to plug the mains charging cable supplied with the car into a conventional 230-volt socket. The battery is then charged from the mains at a power level of 2.3 kW. If completely flat, it is fully recharged in this way within around nine hours. As an option Volkswagen offers via its partners a wall box for the garage or car port that charges the battery at a power level of 3.6 kW. The (completely flat) battery would thus be 100 per cent recharged again after six hours. There are also public charging stations that ‘refuel' electric cars at a power level of 3.6 kW. As a first, the e-up! can also be prepared for the combined charging system (CCS) using a DC power supply. In this case it can be charged via special charging stations at power levels of up to 40 kW. The battery is then 80 per cent recharged after just 30 minutes.

Exclusive features. Volkswagen has developed a range of features and design elements specifically for the e-up! that make the electric car very quickly identifiable as such. The array of bespoke features includes the LED daytime running light's new signature look, aerodynamically developed alloy wheels and an interior in a bright and friendly design. The standard e-up! equipment also includes applications for the maps + more infotainment/navigation system programmed specifically for e-mobility, a radio/CD system, hands-free phone function, four doors, heated windscreen, air conditioning and heated seats. In Germany the new e-up! will go on sale at a base price of €26,900 – no meagre amount of money for a small car, but a manageable sum for a four-seat, four-door, multifaceted and extremely well appointed high-tech electric car with a highly innovative drive system.

e-mobility – en route into the future Volkswagen is pursuing a powertrain and fuel strategy with a long-term approach

Market leader by 2018. Volkswagen defined its roadmap into the future and thus also the starting point for electric vehicles such as the e-up! and e-Golf by producing a power-train and fuel strategy that takes an appropriately long-term view. This strategy assigns realistic timeframes to the introduction of new, alternative drive systems, such as hybrid, electric and hydrogen. In addition, Volkswagen has made it the company's aim to establish the brand as market leader in e-mobility (as in other areas) by 2018.

2013 is a key year for electric mobility. Nevertheless, Volkswagen will in future not be putting its weight behind e-mobility alone but will be pushing forward with an intelligent mix of the most efficient drive systems. In this respect battery electric systems – as the new e-up! and the e-Golf will show – are a sensible and essential addition. The reasons for this are obvious: first, electric vehicles enable large-scale utilisation of renewable energy sources (wind, solar, hydro) to power automobiles. For example, when it launches the smaller e-up! in Germany this autumn, Volkswagen will be offering the ideal electrical power for the car ("BluePower"). This energy, generated without releasing CO₂, comes exclusively from hydro-electric generating plants in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Supply and sales partners are the German company LichtBlick SE and the Volkswagen Bank. Electric cars also offer emissions relief to metropolitan areas based on their drive technology which always features zero local emissions. Furthermore the new electric vehicles from Volkswagen are also a genuine alternative through the fact that in terms of efficiency and recycling their battery technology is for the first time fully compatible with the requirements of high volume production. All drive system factors are thus now perfectly set for e-mobility to really take off.

Mobility to match drivers' needs. It is clear that electric cars geared to shorter journeys can no more replace vehicles designed for long distances than a sports car can replace a people-mover. And yet they all have their purpose and justification: electric cars are the specialists for the cleanest and quietest style of urban motoring, while the different hybrid drive systems and conventional engines are the masters of long distances. Within the framework of the company's powertrain and fuel strategy Volkswagen will therefore, as mentioned above, be pushing forward in parallel with the introduction of new hybrid models. In this regard the Jetta Hybrid BlueMotion and the Touareg Hybrid BlueMotion are already in the model range. The next model of this kind due to follow next year is a Golf plug-in hybrid, which in contrast to the standard hybrid can also cover longer distances (50 kilometres) solely on electric power thanks to a battery (with greater capacity) that can be charged from an external power source. Volkswagen will in addition continue to enhance its efficient petrol, diesel and gas engines (TDI, TSI, TGI), as these drive technologies will coexist long into the future. It is also the case that all new Volkswagen models based on the Modular Transverse Matrix are designed in such a way that they can be fitted with any one of the different types of drive system.

In time with big city life. The fact is that the target group for electric cars is growing, as a paradigm change has begun. A core focus of social behaviour is increasingly on sustainable mobility. However the products for putting this environmental awareness into action need to be suitable and enjoyable. Like an e-up!, which accelerates from standstill up to the tempo of big city life in well under five seconds (0-60 km/h: 4.9 seconds). The new Volkswagen therefore has the potential to charge the electric car segment with innovative engineering, great everyday practicality and a dynamic feeling.




Note:
TDI, TSI and DSG are registered trademarks of Volkswagen AG or other companies of the Volkswagen Group in Germany and other countries.
Equipment details and technical data apply to the model range sold in Germany. Details for other countries may vary.