Volkswagen is finally rolling out its E-Up! hatchback.
The company debuted its new electric car Thursday at the Annual Press and Investors Conference in Wolfsburg, Germany.
The car was first revealed in 2009 at the Frankfurt Motor Show as a strange little EV with a 3 + 1 seating configuration, but the production model appears more conventional (at least with its seats). The E-Up! is the “first fully electric production vehicle” made by VW and appears to be a great city car.
But you probably won’t want to take it very far from the city. The E-Up! only has a 93-mile range (VW does say it can handle the range “effortlessly”), but its quick charging time should make that range a little more palatable. The car can restore 80 percent of its charge in 30 minutes, using VW’s Combined Charging System (CCS) that can use both DC and AC power, reports AutoBlog.
The car isn’t very fast either. Its electric motor generates 60 kW at peak performance, and will take the E-Up! from zero to 62 mph in 14 seconds.
But the Up! is a handsome little city car and is laid out well. The car is 1.5 inches shorter than a Fiat 500, but its wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer, meaning lots of interior space (considering its size).
It’s unclear whether Volkswagen will bring the E-Up! to the United States. The car will be presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and the E-Up! will be available to order after the show.
The E-Up! joins two other Volkswagen Up! mini cars: the natural gas-powered Eco-Up! (that can get 53 mpg) and the gasoline-powered Up! (named 2012 World Car of the Year at the New York Auto Show).
