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All-electric Volkswagen Up available to order now

Image of James Kelly
Author: | Updated: 08 Sep 2016 17:50

Time to power up? Volkswagen certainly think so, with the announcement that the latest, all-electric e-Up city car is now available to order. It’ll join other models in the recently refreshed line up, which now offers a more powerful 89bhp engine.

volkswagen e-Up

More Volkswagen Up lease deals: business / personal

This Up however, is aimed squarely at city dwellers, and gets an all-electric drivetrain that promises up to 93 miles on a single charge. Heralded as a “zero-emissions solution”, the electric motor produces the equivalent of 79bhp – enough to propel it to 62mph in 12.4 seconds.

That’s respectable for a city car – particularly an electric one – but its sedate acceleration combined with a top speed of just 80mph mean it’s probably not the best choice for straying far out of town.

e-Up will come with two types of chargers – one for home, one for fast charge points.

Volkswagen has made a larger electric car – the e-Golf

The lithium-ion battery pack is located under the floor and, with 204 cells, it’s rated at 374 volts and 18.8 kWh. As with most electric vehicles, there’s no need for a gearbox, so the single speed transmission set up is optimised for minimum friction.

Lightweight construction

Despite the hefty 230kg of batteries on board, the e-Up still manages to weight less than its conventionally engined sibling – an impressive feat considering how much heavier the majority of electric cars were just a few years ago.

A fast charge connection means the battery can be recharged to 80% capacity in just 30 minutes, but a full charge from a standard household socket will take nine hours. If wanted, an optional wall box for home garage use can be purchased at extra cost, which will cut the recharge time by three hours.

volkswagenup2

We got behind the wheel of the e-Up’s predecessor

App offers constant connectivity

It’s just as refined as a petrol model in the cabin, which features air con, cruise control, parking sensors and automatic headlights and wipers. A smartphone docking station is also integrated into the infotainment system.

Electric version will keep infotainment and phone dock, but there'll be something more appropriate than the fuel gauge! (petrol model pictured)

Sticking with phones, while the car is charging, an application will allow drivers to manage and monitor progress. They’ll also be able to switch on the air con and view trip computer stats on the app, too.

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