The all-electric Volkswagen e-up! goes on sale in the UK next week priced at £19,250 including £5,000 Government grant or £24,250 on the road.
The Volkswagen e-up! is available to order from 2 December, with first deliveries expected at the end of January 2014.
Based on the multi-award-winning up! city car, the Volkswagen e-up! comes in one high-specification trim level. With zero tailpipe emissions, a range of up to 93 miles in optimum conditions, and a standard full charge taking less than nine hours from a standard 230-Volt, 2.3 kW household socket, the five-door e-up! is as practical as it is environmentally friendly.
The e-up!’s AC electric motor produces 60 kW / 82 PS and 210 Nm of torque. The lithium-ion battery is rated at 374 Volts and 18.7 kWh. Depending on driving style, charge level and ambient conditions, it has a maximum potential range of 93 miles. As well as a standard driving mode, the e-up! has two economy profiles as standard: ‘Eco’ and ‘Eco+’. ‘Eco’ cuts the vehicle’s peak power to 50 kW, reduces the output of the air conditioning system and modifies the throttle response. ‘Eco+’ limits maximum power to 40 kW, further modifies the throttle response and disables the air conditioning.
On top of these different operating modes, the range of the e-up! can be greatly influenced by regenerative braking. There are five modes available: D, D1, D2, D3 and B. In D, the vehicle coasts when the accelerator is lifted. In each of the next levels, lifting off the throttle pedal provides an increased level of regenerative braking. In D2, D3 and B, the brake lights are automatically activated when the driver’s foot is lifted from the throttle pedal.
In the UK e-up! customers will be offered an optional wall box for home garage use. This provides a 3.6 kW supply and can recharge a completely flat battery in six hours. On top of this, all e-up!s have a DC fast-charging circuit as standard. Using the Combined Charging System (CCS), this enables a flat battery to be charged to 80 per cent in 30 minutes, at levels of up to 40 kW using a DC supply. Cables are provided to connect to both a standard UK three-pin socket and a CCS socket.
Where conditions permit, the e-up! can achieve a top speed of 81 mph; while it can easily keep up with urban and suburban traffic, thanks to a zero to 37 mph time of 4.9 seconds, and a zero to 62 mph time of 12.4 seconds.
Externally, the e-up! can be identified by badges on the front wings and bootlid, as well as by distinctive C-shaped LED daytime running lights, and 15-inch ‘Tezzle’ alloy wheels. Inside, the bespoke upholstery is edged in blue, while the leather-covered steering wheel, gearlever and handbrake all have blue stitching.
On top of the standard specification of the range-topping petrol-powered High up! model, which includes luxuries such as heated front seats, cruise control and the Maps and More navigation system, the e-up! adds a heated windscreen, DAB digital radio with six-speaker Sound Pack, City Emergency Braking system, rear parking sensors and an electronic climate control system. As well as the standard Bluetooth connectivity and navigation functions of the petrol-powered up!’s Maps and More device, the e-up!’s unit includes charging point location details, range mapping (both one-way and round-trip) and vehicle charging management functions, including the ability to pre-set the vehicle’s interior heating or cooling for certain times.
Certain vehicle functions can also be operated remotely using Volkswagen’s Car Net services on an Apple iPhone or Android mobile device. The e-up! comes with a three-year Car Net subscription that allows users to control or get information on charging status, battery management, doors and lighting, driving data, climate control and the location of the vehicle.
The Volkswagen e-up! comes with a standard three-year warranty, with the option to extend this by one or two years. The vehicle’s battery comes with an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty, while the standard service interval is 10,000 miles or one year, whichever comes soonest.
