Vertaalde versie van http://www.autoweek.nl/nieuws.php?id=9193June 27, 2008 Text Stephan Vermeulen Volkswagen Golf TwinDrive Concept, a hybrid with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In the city, only the electric motor is needed so the Golf's emissions are zero. Volkswagen is collaborating with the German government on this vehicle. The Golf TwinDrive can be driven 50 kilomentres on electricity before it has to switch to the gasoline engine. You can plug the TwinDrive in to charge the battery. The German government's plan for the future focusses on mobility and therefore alternate sources of energy are important. Electricity is to be generated from wind, water and solar power to provide energy to charge the battery. There are many possibilities for emission-free driving and the Golf TwinDrive is a step in that direction. Soon, cars will be able to travel entirely on electric power.
Volkswagen Golf TwinDrive Concept, a hybrid with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. In the city, only the electric motor is needed so the Golf's emissions are zero. Volkswagen is collaborating with the German government on this vehicle. The Golf TwinDrive can be driven 50 kilomentres on electricity before it has to switch to the gasoline engine. You can plug the TwinDrive in to charge the battery. The German government's plan for the future focusses on mobility and therefore alternate sources of energy are important. Electricity is to be generated from wind, water and solar power to provide energy to charge the battery. There are many possibilities for emission-free driving and the Golf TwinDrive is a step in that direction. Soon, cars will be able to travel entirely on electric power.
Yet another concept from yet another automaker. I wonder how many we have seen over the years. Hmm? Anywho, I get the impression that "twin" does indeed mean exactly that... two entirely independent drive systems... yet another definition for "hybrid" vehicle. .
Most of you probably no I'm not much of a diesel fan, but I actually hope they can build this. IMHO plugin hybrids might just be where diesels start to make sense. Emissions are getting more reasonable with the latest crop (still not Prius competitive but not awful), and if you mostly run electric around town and only use the diesel on the highway (where it really shines anyway) then you keep most of the remaining emissions out of your urban centers. Rob
The diesel premium is steeper than the hybrid premium. That is why Toyota didn't make the Prius a diesel.
While I applaud VW for taking a shot at Hybrid tech...I have not been impressed with VWs quality. My 99 Jetta was J-U-N-K! No more VWs for this proud German.
Yea, My older brother had a diesel beetle (i think a 98, 99, 00) it got great mpg (50 for hwy) but it had a handfull of problems in the winter every year. so He traded it in for a regular jetta.
Not only is it a HUGE cost penalty, but the gains of a diesel won't be as great as people predict in a hybrid application. Yes, diesel engines are a little more efficient at heavy load. But the major gain on diesel vehicles comes from the part load and idle efficiency of a diesel. Going down a flat highway, a conventional car uses maybe 5% to 20% of the engines potential power to maintain speed. At that light of a load, the efficiency difference between a gasser and a diesel is significant. Around town, the difference is even bigger because an equivalent size gas engine uses 4X the fuel at idle. Put the engines in a conventional hybrid, and the engines never idle and rarely run at light load. That makes the difference between a gasoline and diesel much more slight. Spending $4k extra for the diesel on top of the synergy drive just wouldn't make sense. Put them in a series plug in hybrid, and the benefit of the diesel is almost nil. Almost the entire mileage gain is simply coming from the extra energy content of diesel.
This is NOT a diesel hybrid, it is a gasoline-electric hybrid. A diesel engine is NOT $4K additional, it is $1600 for a VW Jetta. A diesel hybrid makes the most sense in a series hybrid due to the much higher compression of a diesel increasing thermal efficiency.
Well as you can see, it was missing a few words like zonnekracht and the grammar wasn't quite right. I can put my translation into your post if you want. Just let me know.
