Unveiling of new electric Golf showcases revised looks, more power, extended range and improved efficiency

A week after the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf was unveiled with a mid-life facelift, an all-electric e-Golf has received its World premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Power has increased, yet the e-Golf is more economical than before, recharges quicker and has an increased range.

It benefits from the revisions to the facelifted Golf but adds individual styling cues including full LED headlights complete with blue strip detailing, that extends across a closed off grille. Unique c-shaped daytime running lights in the lower grille complete the e-Golf’s front end. At the rear, it gets LED taillights and a clear indicator strip.

The electric motor develops an additional 15kW, taking overall power to 100kW, while torque has increased by 15lb ft (20Nm) to 214lb ft (290Nm) meaning its 0-62mph time drops from 10.4 seconds to 9.6 seconds. Top speed has increased to 93mph.

Economy has improved also to 12.7 kWh/100 km with zero local emissions; in the USA the car’s fuel economy is 116 MPGe. 

There’s also a new lithium-ion battery which increases capacity from 24.2 kWh to 35.8 kWh. It’ll recharge to 80% capacity in just one hour when using a rapid charge CCS charging station (DC, 40 kW). A wall box will fully replenish the battery in less than six hours. 

The new battery has helped to increase its driving range to 186 miles using the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) (125 miles in the US with EPA testing).

New to the latest version of the Golf is the 12.3in digital instrument panel, which is standard on the e-Golf, while the new 9.2in infotainment screen features gesture control, where a swipe of the hand can help move through menus, change radio stations and browse your music.

More safety systems are now available, including: traffic jam assist – autonomous driving mode; pedestrian monitoring with city emergency braking; and emergency assist which can bring the car to a halt in the event of a medical emergency for the driver.

Prices and launch dates are yet to be confirmed.