Volkswagen shows all-electric four-seater at Wolfsburg meet

(Phys.org) —The Volkswagen e-up!, an all-electric city car, is not for sale just yet, but this week the first-ever Volkswagen production electric vehicle was "unveiled" at a press and investors gathering in Wolfsburg, Germany, company headquarters. The news that EV watchers will want to know most about this new vehicle, as with any EV announcement these days, will center around practical concerns such as how long does it run before the battery power is depleted, and charging requirements. As for the e-up! it has an 18.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack, with a 93-mile range (150km) and provides the driver with a dual charging system. The battery is integrated under the floor area. A "Combined Charging System" supports AC and DC charging. The advantage of this, said the company, is that the driver can more easily charge the car at any charging station without worrying about the right power source. Also, it can be recharged up to 80 percent in 30 minutes.

The port for charging the battery in the e-up! is hidden behind the 'fuel door'. The Combined Charging System is presented as an option. The system was standardized by the company along with other car makers.

The vehicle has been designed as a four-seater, with a top speed of 84mph (135km). The e-up! all electric car is being suggested as a vehicle for daily use in the city, for daily commuting, and as a second car.

Other selling points will be that it operates with almost no noise; there are stylish LED running lights and machine-polished wheels. The interior design features light gray seat covers with blue top-stitched seams. "Leather and chrome accents" convey "a puristic impression," according to the company release.

This year the e-up! will have another debut, this time its "fair premiere" at the International Auto Show in Frankfurt later this year. Orders will start up after that. At the time of this writing, expectations were that the car would be sold outside the US.

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