Instruments Tailored to Electric Driving

The driver can see how much energy is being demanded by the "electric pedal" at any given moment on the kW gauge (replaces the classic tachometer); drivers strive to keep the kW reading as low as possible practically intuitively. A range indicator is also integrated in this round instrument. The speedometer, located on the right side as usual, integrates another small gauge that provides information on the battery charge state.

Individual Choices in Battery Regeneration

A new feature is the display of regeneration intensity in the multifunction display between the kW instrument and the speedometer. In battery regeneration, the driver has the option of pre-setting the braking energy recovery strategy over four stages (D to D3) via the automatic gearshift lever or gearshift paddles on the steering wheel. In the lowest stage (D), the car "sails" as soon as the driver's foot leaves the "electric pedal" - now the Golf Blue-e-motion moves with very low drag; it is only "slowed" by the rolling resistance of the tires and air resistance. In the D3 stage, or B for braking, on the other hand, the maximum amount of kinetic energy is recovered and fed to the battery. In addition, the electrical energy consumption of the automatic climate control unit and its blower can be called up in the multifunction display.

Three Driving Profiles

In addition, an active driving profile can be set; this lets the driver select priorities in advance: between maximum range, maximum comfort and maximum dynamics. The selected profile then pre-configures the power of the electric motor, air conditioning control, maximum speed and battery regeneration strategy.

The Golf Blue-e-motion offers the three profiles "Normal," "Comfort+" and "Range+." In the "Comfort+" profile, the full 114 hp of power is available; in this mode the Golf Blue-e-motion can attain the specified top speed of 84 mph. When the driver activates the "Normal" mode, power is reduced to 87 hp and top speed is lowered to 72 mph. In the "Range+" mode the engine controller limits power to 67 hp; in this case, the car can reach a maximum speed of 64 mph. At the same time, the air conditioning system is completely deactivated. The selected profile is shown in the multifunction display.

Full Charging Via the VW Logo

The Golf Blue-e-motion is charged via a plug connector behind the folding VW logo on the radiator grille. A pictogram of a plug connector in the multifunction display indicates that the charging cable is correctly inserted and locked. During active charging an LED also flashes in the charge state indicator, and the charge level shown in the indicator is continually updated.

Packaging of the Drive System

All key primary and secondary drive components were integrated in the front engine compartment. In arriving at this design, developers applied experience they had gained in numerous design studies. As in the Up! Blue-e-motion concept car, for example, an integral form of electric drive is used in the Golf Blue-e-motion. Core components of the integral drive are the lightweight 176 lbs (80 kg) electric motor together with a transmission and differential. Energy management is handled by a high-voltage pulse-controlled inverter that is integrated in the compact integral drive - along with the 12 Volt electrical system's DC/DC converter and charging module. The entire unit is relatively light and compact; the five-door and five-seat Golf Blue-e-motion weighs just 452 lbs (205 kg) more than a comparable Golf BlueMotion TDI with DSG - despite the fact that electric car batteries are known to be heavy and weigh 3406 lbs (1,545 kg) in the concept car. Yet, the car's safety properties are identical.

Volkswagen Golf Blue-e-motion Concept: Photo Gallery, Review (1/2) and Specifications