Skip to main content

Volkswagen to Test E-Golf BEV in the US

Volkswagen of America is this month starting a pilot scheme to test 20 prototype E-Golf battery electric vehicles (BEVs) over a nine-month period in the US in Detroit Metro, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. markets. Twelve of the E-Golf BEVs, will be allocated to selected Volkswagen employees during the time period. By studying E-Golf use across multiple geographical regions, Volkswagen will monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns, and energy performance; the data and insights gained du
April 13, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
994 Volkswagen of America is this month starting a pilot scheme to test 20 prototype E-Golf battery electric vehicles (BEVs) over a nine-month period in the US in Detroit Metro, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. markets.

Twelve of the E-Golf BEVs, will be allocated to selected Volkswagen employees during the time period. By studying E-Golf use across multiple geographical regions, Volkswagen will monitor the effect of climate conditions, driving patterns, and energy performance; the data and insights gained during the scheme will be used in the final development of future EV technology applications. In addition to testing the vehicle itself, users will also test specific services designed for the E-Golf. For example, 220-volt charging stations will be installed at the employees’ homes to charge the vehicles.

“During this test we will examine in detail all the technical and administrative aspects of typical consumers using electric vehicles on an everyday basis,” said Dr Rudolf Krebs, executive vice president and head of Volkswagen Group E-Traction. “For a successful market launch of electric vehicles, the way that home chargers are handled is very important, along with easy access to public charging infrastructure. For the US, we also have to recognise the specific legal regulations as well as the different characteristics of the electricity supply: both the reduced 110-volt mains supply and the type of charging plugs.”

Related Content

  • May 16, 2012
    Milestone for ChargePoint America
    Coulomb Technologies has celebrated a significant milestone for the ChargePoint America programme. At a ceremony in Exposition Park hosted by the Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor of Los Angeles. US Energy Secretary Steven Chu and Coulomb Technologies founder and CTO Richard Lowenthal unveiled the 500th ChargePoint America station available now on the ChargePoint Network. Others attending the ceremony included ChargePoint America programme vehicle partners Chevrolet, Ford and smart USA as well as electr
  • October 28, 2015
    Emissions reductions targets to have major impact on transport
    As bold moves aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have been introduced in California, David Crawford looks at the ramifications for transportation. California Governor Jerry Brown’s recent dramatic raising of the bar on emissions reduction policy for the state has won him praise from Japan, Australia, Europe and the secretariat of the critical UN conference on climate change being held in Paris in November/December 2015. His April 2015 executive order aimed at bringing emissions to 40% below 1990 lev
  • March 27, 2013
    Cost effective EV fast charger from ABB
    US power and automation technology group says its latest fast charger, the Terra SC is a cost-effective direct-current (DC) charger specifically designed for convenient fast charging in commercial and office areas. It fully charges an electric vehicle (EV) in thirty to 120 minutes. The Terra SC is also ideal for people who want to keep driving but don’t necessarily need a full charge: it can charge the battery of currently available EVs from thirty per cent to eighty per cent in less than half an hour. Easy
  • December 16, 2014
    Do satellites provide a heavenly view of tolling’s future?
    Satellite-based tolling opens up new options for authorities and can be integrated with DSRC systems as David Crawford discovers. As the proud custodian of the European Union (EU)’s longest road network covered by a single (truck) charging scheme – and the only one to include all major roads - Slovakia has become the continent’s poster-nation for the virtues of GNSS/CN (Global Navigation Satellite System/Cellular Network)-based tolling. It is also proved to be a very fast implementer. Speaking at the 2014 I