Cute little city car, here we come! That’s the first thought when you see Volkswagen’s new zero emissions E-Up! concept. The company has high hopes for the car and has described it the “Beetle of the 21st Century”.
Tipping the scales at a releatively light 1085 kilograms the E-Up! has one basic fundamental right, low weight. When you consider the car’s Lithium-ion battery is a hefty 240kg that’s actually some achievement.
With an electrical charging point hidden behind the bonnet mounted VW emblem the 60kW/210Nm powered E-Up! can be recharged in around 5 hours. To ease the load on the engine, the car’s eletrical system is powered, in part, by the car’s solar roof panels. Even the interior sun visors are fitted with solar cells that can supplement power generation by flipping them out towards the sun. Those Germans think of everything!
It seems marketers can too, given they came up with the label Human Machine Interface (HMI) for the car’s interior controls. In addition to the expected monitoring of available charge remaining and usual heating and lighting controls, the HMI has some pretty nifty features, including remote capability that allows the use of an iPhone to commence recharging. Ideal for taking advantage of off-peak electricity charges.
At just 3.19 metres in length, the E-Up! uses flexible seating arrangements to maximise its practicality. Volkswagen describes the E-Up! as being a 3+1 seater. Mainly because the passenger’s seat sits a couple of inches further forward, offering more rear seat legroom behind the front passenger. The seating position behind the driver is best suited to a small child, or it could be used as extra cargo space.
Volkswagen expects the E-Up! to be ready for launch in 2013. Heaps more after the jump.
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