The Volkswagen
e-Golf is now ready to hit US showrooms. Scheduled to arrive with local dealers
this spring, with prices to be announced close to that date, the electric
version of the compact car has an EPA-estimated 126/111/119 mpg-e in
city/highway/combined. VW said that "using 13 cents per kilowatt-hour, the
EPA has estimated an annual fuel cost of just US$ 550".
The Environmental Protection Agency's evaluation
gives the 2017 e-Golf a range of 83-125 miles (134-201 km) between charges,
depending on a number of factors including the driving style, thanks to a new
lithium-ion battery, whose capacity has increased from 24.2 kWh to 35.8 kWh.
This is accompanied by a 7.2 kW on-board charger, which is standard on the SE
and SEL Premium models.
Besides the battery pack, Volkswagen have upgraded
the electric motor as well, which now develops 19 horses and 20
Nm of torque more than the pre-facelifted version. With 134 HP and 290 Nm available, the e-Golf needs 9.6 seconds to go from naught to 96 km/h, and will keep pushing up to a top speed of 150 km/h.