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Volkswagen e-Golf : The electric car as business tool

Volkswagen e Golf 1800
Volkswagen e-Golf

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12 November 2014

Volkswagen, e-Golf, electric, cars, cornering
Volkswagen e-Golf – like a normal Golf, but fitted with an electric motor instead of an engine

Company Car Review of the Volkswagen e-Golf

What is it?

THE Volkswagen Golf, with no engine.

The ‘e’ is for electric, and instead of a petrol or diesel engine under the bonnet, there is an AC electric motor to drive the front wheels, taking its energy from a lithium-ion battery pack under the cabin floor.

This is Volkswagen’s second electric car, joining the e-up! that is already established in the range.

That is city car size and so an ideal commuter model, but this is VW’s first five-seater family size eco model.

As if electric power isn’t exciting enough, another reason why the e-Golf should appeal to business buyers, is that as it’s an electric vehicle and emits no CO2 – there’s no company car tax to pay!

Company car tax rules change in April 2015 , but the e-Golf will still only attract a five per cent BIK rating – which is not very much to hand over to the taxman.

So does it shout about being all-electric?

 Not at all. It looks entirely normal.

Unless you look very closely, it is hard to differentiate the e-Golf from its more conventional internal combustion relatives in the Golf range.

Only discreet badging gives the game away to the sharp-eyed. It is no slouch, it can very adequately keep up with the traffic, and the top speed is high enough for comfortable motorway cruising.

What is it like to drive?

Pretty normal, with a few differences. You get in and switch on just the same as in any Golf, but there is no engine start-up to tell you it’s ready.

You shift the auto gear lever to D for Drive, squeeze the throttle and pull away.

The e-Golf responds with a smooth linear take-off, decent acceleration but almost no noise, apart from the soft whirring of the electric motor.

The road behaviour and handling is largely similar to a conventional Golf, with a taut feel and tidy handling.

You are not short of power, with a 113 bhp power output and 199 lb ft of torque, which is plenty to propel a car weighing one and a half tonnes (1,510 kg).

The e-Golf’s official range is 118 miles, although hard driving and lots of electrical demands – such as you might need in very hot or very cold weather – will reduce the scope of the fully-charged batteries, although regenerative braking helps to recoup some energy.

A full recharge of the car will take 13 hours plugged into a domestic 13-amp socket or eight hours using a 3.6kW domestic wall box.

Or a commercial fast charging unit can charge to 80 per cent of the car’s battery capacity in 35 minutes.

So there is a range of options for recharging an e-Golf.

Should I rush out and get one?

Only if your regular driving distance would suit a car with only about a quarter the range of an economical diesel, and one that takes hours rather than minutes to replenish when its fuel source runs out.

If you are keen to be green and an electric car would fit in with your business car life, the e-Golf is well worth considering.

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