Volkswagen Electrifies the New Golf

Authors

Dipl.-Ing. F. Eichler, Dr. rer. nat. K. Bennewitz, Dipl.-Ing. C. Helbing, Dr.-Ing. K. Philipp, Dipl.-Ing. P. Lück, Dipl.-Ing. N. Weiß, Dr.-Ing. C. Felsch, Volkswagen AG, Wolfsburg

Year

2017

Print Info

Fortschritt-Berichte VDI, Series 12, No 802

Summary

Electrification is a central pillar of Volkswagen’s powertrain strategy. Be it full hybrid, plug-in hybrid or battery electric vehicle, Volkswagen has successfully brought to market in recent years a range of electrified vehicle concepts on the basis of existing platforms. Examples are the Touareg Hybrid, Jetta Hybrid, e-up! and e-Golf as well as the Golf GTE and Passat GTE plug-in hybrid models. For Volkswagen, this has resulted in a broad spectrum of gains in knowledge and competencies in powertrain electrification. In the new Golf, Volkswagen is now offering a spectrum of electrification ranging from the low-voltage hybrid system “Coasting Engine Off” (German: Freilauf Motor Aus, FMA) to highvoltage electric vehicles. In the FMA system, the internal combustion engine is switched off during coasting, thus marking a further development of the coasting and start/stop functions. The new e-Golf features an electric drive developed and produced in-house, with a Volkswagen lithium-ion battery system serving as the energy storage medium. This enabled a significant increase in both the range and the power output of the revised e-Golf. Global market development and emissions legislation demand a further significant reduction of fleet CO₂ emissions, thus calling for broad-based electrification that is also highly attractive for customers. Going forward, Volkswagen is using the expertise garnered from the vehicles it has already brought to market to meet this requirement with a vehicle architecture specifically focused on battery electric vehicles. The Modular Electric Drive Kit (German: Modularer Elektrifizierungsbaukasten, MEB) combines local zero-emissions driving with long-distance mobility to form the basis for high-volume battery electric vehicles for the global market.