Volkswagen will be announcing a new electric car next month at the Paris Motor Show. It is said that the new car can reach 300 miles on a single charge and will be launched in 2018.
Volkswagen has promised to launch electric vehicles by 2020 to make up for their dieselgate scandal. However, the company said that they will be unveiling a new electric car next month and they will release it in 2018.
In an interview with a German magazine Wirtschafts Woche, Herbert Diess, the chairman of Volkswagen Passenger Cars said that the electric car to be unveiled at the Paris Motor Show can travel 250 to 370 miles. However, Diess might be referring to European Driving Cycle rating, but if it is going to be tested against the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the range of the vehicle will only be at 300 miles since the first does not reflect the range of vehicles in the real world, Tech Times reported.
But the 300 miles on a single charge is still the longest range that an electric car can reach. It outranged the Tesla's upcoming 3 electric vehicles that can reach 215 miles.
Diess added that the Volkswagen's new electric car will have the size of the Volkswagen Golf but the cargo space will be larger than the Volkswagen Passat. The prototype that they are going to show next month will almost be the same as the vehicle that they are going to produce.
According to news, Volkswagen's new electric car's electric motors, power electronics and battery is packed down into the vehicle's chassis. This will free up the spaces that are supposed to be occupied by a regular engine, same with Tesla Model S and Tesla Model X. This will give the car a bigger interior space compared to regular vehicles, Transport Evolved reported.
Diess also said that Volkswagen is planning to reduce its dependence on Asian manufacturers of batteries. The company will manufacture its own lithium-ion batteries or purchase batteries made in Germany to become a world-leader in manufacturing electric cars by 2025.