Volkswagen is making electric mobility affordable for everyone with the new e-up!. The base price for the model is €21,975, and the price has gone down, but the range has gone up: Thanks to a new battery system, the e-up! now has a range of up to 260 km. It’s important to note that despite its compact dimensions, the e-up! is a fully fledged automobile that seats four people. It offers smart mobility and zero-emission driving for companies, company car drivers and private motorists. The countdown to the market launch of the new e-up! is already under way, with pre-sales of the model scheduled to begin in mid-September.
New battery cells with a considerably higher energy content have increased the range of the e-up! even further. More specifically, the energy content of the batteries has increased from 18.7 to 32.3 kWh net. As a result, the vehicle’s range in real driving situations has been further extended to up to 260 km; expected power consumption amounts to 12.7 kWh/100 km, which means the new e-up! is perfect for nearly all types of daily travel in cities – whether for business or private purposes. Battery charging times are also short: it takes only 60 minutes to charge the battery to 80 per cent of its capacity at 40 kW with DC (direct current) charging. Charging time to full capacity at a wall box (home charging station) or public charging station (3.6 kW to 7.2 kW of alternating current – AC) ranges from four to five hours. The charging process can also be set in advance, initiated or halted via smartphone with the “maps + more” app (standard) and the optional We Connect app, both of which can be used to operate the standard stationary air conditioning system in the e-up! as well.
In addition to the ecological benefits it offers, the e-up! is also really fun to drive. On the one hand, this has to do with its low centre of gravity, which results from its battery being integrated into the vehicle floor. The other reason why it’s so much fun to drive has to do with the fact that the 61-kW electric motor provides maximum torque as soon as the vehicle begins moving. As a result, the urban wonder accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in only 11.9 seconds. The model’s top speed is 130 km/h.
The new e-up! also makes electric mobility noticeably more affordable. Its attractive price is a result of the economies of scale enabled by high production volumes. Indeed, Volkswagen plans to offer more electric vehicles than ever before. In the case of the e-up!, production volume is also set to increase significantly from the figure for the predecessor model, according to current forecasts. The e-up! has an attractive base price of €21,975 . This is all the more impressive when you consider that Volkswagen is offering the vehicle at this price as a four-door all-rounder with a sleek design and an extensive range of standard equipment. The latter includes (partial list):
- The Composition Phone audio system with a Bluetooth interface, hands-free system, DAB+, six loudspeakers, an MP3 and USB port and an SD slot
- Automatic gearbox
- A 2D dash pad in “Black Cube”
- The Climatronic automatic air conditioning system
- The Lane Assist lane departure warning system
- LED daytime running lights in a C-shaped electric mobility design
- A “maps + more dock” as a smartphone docking station with a Bluetooth connection and a charging system
- The “maps + more” app that enables complete smartphone integration (including a battery status display and battery management system, a navigation unit with charging stations, a traffic sign recognition system, a driving data collection feature and integration of multimedia content)
- Seat covers in a “Fusion Grey” design
- Voice control for the navigation system and the radio
- VW emblems in a new design
- Central locking
The e-up! can be customised with a variety of optional packages and individual features. The e-up! style, a refined version of the most compact Volkswagen model with an electric drive, will also be offered to customers. Standard equipment in this model will be supplemented by the following features (partial list):
- Roof and exterior mirrors in a contrasting colour (black or white)
- 3D dash pad in “Sharkskin” with blue background lighting
- Aluminium front sill panel trim with “e-up” lettering
- 15-Inch “Blade” alloy wheels
- Tinted windows in the passenger compartment
- Side sill trim in the vehicle colour
- Seat covers in a “Cross” design
The compact zero-emission vehicle offers a surprising amount of space for four people. The boot also stands out with its variable luggage compartment floor, outstanding flexibility offered by an asymmetrical folding rear seat bench, and a total volume of 251 litres when all seats are occupied. This space increases to an SUV-like 941 litres when the bench is folded down.
Electric mobility is being supported in a variety of ways all around the world. Germany, for example, has an environmental bonus programme in place that offers e-up! buyers a government subsidy of €2,000 plus another subsidy from Volkswagen in the amount of €2,380. What’s more, any employee who uses a new e-up! as a company car is taxed only 0.5 per cent instead of 1.0 per cent of the price of the vehicle. The low sticker price of the e-up! and the subsidies from the government and Volkswagen make this electric vehicle an extremely interesting model from a financial perspective. Additional financial security is also offered here by Volkswagen’sguarantee on the batteries for 8 years or 160,000 km.