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Volkswagen To Spend Over $40 Billion on Electric and Self-Driving Cars (reuters.com)

Posted by msmash on from the next-up dept.

Volkswagen plans to spend more than 34 billion euros ($40 billion) over the next five years on developing electric cars, autonomous driving and other new technologies, it said on Friday. "With the planning round now approved, we are laying the foundation for making Volkswagen the world's number one player in electric mobility by 2025," Chief Executive Matthias Mueller said in a statement.

2 of 99 comments (clear)

  1. e-Golf is almost perfect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    I took a *serious* look at the e-Golf last month. The only problem is that it has a 201 km range and the cottage is 250 km (like, within 10m of that number).There's a CCS on the route, but it's too close to the start point to be really useful, and there's not a lot of places in the middle to add one. So for me, something with 300 km range is pretty much a requirement.

    The deal is pretty spectacular. Here in Ontario you get $14,000 back for buying an EV, and if you put in a Level 2 charger all your night time power is free (FREE). So after the payoff and taxes and everything else, it came to about $CAD25,000. That's actually less than the base model Golf, but you're getting the mid-level trim.

    Upsides: looks like a Golf (which I prefer), drives like a Golf, has a CCS connection (does the Bolt or is it extra?), about the same size as my Civic so nothing to get used to there. Stereo remembers six BT devices (ugh everyone else with one).

    Downsides:No remote of any sort really, so no way to know the charge status, get reminders, etc. More importantly, no remote "heat up now" which is pretty useful here in Toronto.

    Odd: 0 to 60 in something over 9 seconds, which is really weird given its weight and torque. Maybe a typo in the specs?

    1. Re:e-Golf is almost perfect by beelsebob · · Score: 4, Informative

      I have a 2015 eGolf - it has a remote that reports battery status (amongst other things).

      It is indeed an almost perfect car - my lease is about to expire, and I'm seriously considering another one despite its range being roughly half that of the Bolt.