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Volkswagen has launched its all-electric e-Golf in the UK, with the brand expecting to sell over 250 units this year, mostly to fleets.
First deliveries of the e-Golf will begin at the end of this month.
Private buyers can get it for £25,845 after the government’s £5,000 low-CO2 grant, or for £229 a month on a PCP plan. There will also a lease plan for business users, although rates have not yet been announced.
The e-Golf will be sold through 24 accredited EV specialist Volkswagen dealers in high-population areas, all of whom currently sell the e-up!
“Customers are more likely to be fleets, as with the rest of the Golf range, but sales will probably be in the hundreds rather than the thousands,” said a VW spokesperson. “All we are saying is that it will be bigger than the e-up! [the battery-powered version of VW’s smallest car which went on sale in January] and we estimated annual volumes of 250 for that.”
VW claims that the e-Golf is arriving at just the right time, with a steady increase in the number of public fast-charge points.
“It’s coming in as the infrastructure is starting to take shape. Fast chargers are the crucial thing,” said the spokesperson.
The e-Golf can be charged to 80% of capacity in just 30 minutes from a fast charger, or to full capacity in eight hours. With a standard domestic plug a full charge takes 13 hours. The batteries are covered by an eight-year or 99,000-mile warranty.
VW has a link with British Gas to provide a free home charger, including installation, and also has a deal with Ecotricity to offer its EV customers low-cost carbon-free electricity at home. Dealers will also offer discounted rates on car hire from Europcar if owners need something with a longer range than the e-Golf’s claimed 118 miles.
The e-Golf is based on the combustion-engined Golf SE, but with additional equipment. This includes two-zone climate control and sat-nav with additional range information and the option to charge the car remotely using a smartphone. Owners can choose between three levels of brake energy recovery to charge the car on the move, and three driving modes which adjust the performance levels and potential range.
Source: Headline Auto