Alternative energy is the future, I know it, you know it, and Volkswagen also knows it. That is why they have plans to put a car with an an electric motor in the market in 3 years from now – on 2011.
Part of that plan goes by testing a “Twin Drive” that can travel 30 miles (48 km) by only using a lithium-ion battery. Cheap and good, what more could you ask for?
The future production VW model will make use of a 1-liter turbocharged gasoline engine, and while it uses electricity to reach 30 mph, from that point forward the engine is in charge.
Interestingly enough, the car doesn’t have a transmission which means there is less weight, but on the other hand, the battery + electric motor are heavy, so things are even up.
Regenerative braking helps keep the 12 kWh battery charged, and there’s an “e-mode” for tooling around town under battery power alone.Tags: twin drive, volkswagen, VW