Volkswagen yesterday unveiled its new hybrid concept called the Golf Twin Drive. The uniqueness of this Twin Drive concept is the combination of a fuel-efficient diesel engine with plug-in electric hybrid technology. The electric motor stored in Golf's cargo hatch runs on an array of easily chargable lithium-ion batteries generating a respectable 82hp (61kW) of power. You won't need to worry once the electric-only range of 31 miles (50 KM) is crossed and the batteries get drained as the 122 horsepower 2.0L turbodiesel engine would take over from there.It won't be right to compare the 2010 Golf Twin Drive with the upcoming Chevrolet Volt, as unlike the Volt, there would be no charging of the batteries by the engine. But the good thing is that you can still hook-up the car to a regular household power outlet and enjoy your beer while the baby gets all charged-up.
To further boost its travelling range, Golf will be loaded with two new innovative technologies, the regenerative braking to charge the batteries, and the start-stop system to shuts off the engine when idling in traffic.
By 2010, Volkswagen along with the German government would be developing a fleet of 20 Golf test cars fitted with the Twin Drive system. And VW promises to charge the batteries for the vehicle's electric motor using only 'renewable electricity' during the trial process. If you are confused by the term 'renewable electrictiy', not a prob, it just denotes the electric energy thats generated from renewable resources such as wind and hydro power.
Source: Autoblog