Electric-up! [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Typical Volkswagen.

All Volkswagen are intuitive to operate, extremely practical in everyday use and sophisticated, and these traits have been fully transferred to the brand’s new e-vehicles. The zero-emission cars from Volkswagen are manufactured with the same high-volume production systems as their counterparts with combustion engines.

Electric-up! data. Also making its debut in a world premiere at the IAA is the four-seat Electric-up!. Its electric motor produces 60 kW / 82 PS. This motor transmits 210 Nm of torque to the driven front axle from a standstill. It completes the sprint to 100 km/h in 12.4 seconds. Top speed: 130 km/h.

Driving ranges tailored for commuters. The Electric-up! can drive 160 km on one battery charge (18.7 kWh). In both models, two very efficient driving modes (“Eco”, “Eco+”) and four just as easy to activate regenerative braking modes (“D1”, “D2”, “D3” and “B”) help to extend maximum ranges. And they are driving ranges that make sense. In Germany, for example, studies by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Building and Urban Development found that around 80 per cent of all car drivers in Germany drive fewer than 50 km daily.

Quick charging. The fastest CCS charging stations (direct current) shorten the time needed to charge the battery of an Electric-up! to 80 per cent capacity to just around half an hour.

Powertrain and fuel strategy. Over the past decade, Volkswagen has already systematically sketched out a schedule for the future in its powertrain and fuel strategy, which included starting points for electric vehicle like the Electric-up!. This strategy sets up a timeline with realistic time windows for the introduction of alternative drive systems such as the hybrid, electric and hydrogen-based systems. In this scenario, the all-electric drive system – which will be demonstrated by the new Electric-up! – represents an indispensable and sensible supplemental drive system. That is because electric cars utilize renewable energy sources and enable zero-emissions mobility in metropolitan areas. Nonetheless, well into the future Volkswagen will continue to promote an intelligent mix of the most efficient drive systems.

Driving at the pace of the big city. The fact is that the target group for electric cars is growing, because a paradigm shift has begun. Sustainable mobility is having an increasing impact on people’s actions. Yet the products for implementing this environmental awareness must be practical and fun as well - such as the Electric-up! which accelerates to big city pace in just a few seconds. The new zero-emission Volkswagen cars therefore have the potential for irreversibly charging up the electric car segment with innovative technology, a high level of everyday practicality and a dynamic driving feeling.