True to its roots, VW is investing in the small, affordable car again. A recently snapped VW prototype reveals a few clues about the company’s forthcoming E-up! electric vehicle. It’s not going to be available for another two years, but new information about the car’s specification is already becoming clear.
Recent spy photos reveal a car that lacks an exhaust – a sure-fire clue as to its electric credentials. The car was photographed housed in the body of a previous generation Polo, but it’s fairly clear there’s something more exciting going on here.
Central to the E-up is affordability, both in terms of initial price and in terms of keeping running costs to a bare minimum. The model has been designed to offer an affordable vehicle for households that delivers zero emissions together with a practical design for a multitude of uses.
The recently snapped and updated prototype is believed to be the next stage in the development of the E-up!, shown at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2009. The car will run on a collection of lithium-ion batteries under the flooring, which will deliver 80bhp. Able to travel 80 miles without a re-charge, the E-up! is likely to tick many boxes for the modern road user – particularly those who live in built up areas. And if it can indeed, as thought, be re-charged to 80% in just one hour, it is sure to delight many a motorist.
Available with a price tag of around £7000 in 2013, the E-up! looks to be a serious contender for the small electric car market – a market that many analysts expect to be huge. The contest to be the king of Electric is hotting up seemingly by the day, as more and more leading car manufacturers develop the cars of tomorrow. As long as enough charge points exist in order to prevent a car breakdown, the future for cars like the E-up! looks bright.
Breakdown Cover from 
