SO this is it: the first big step into electric driving.
While many of the conversations I’ve had about this have centred around the range issue, I’m more interested in the difference the e-Golf makes locally. The car’s real forte.
Many of my everyday journeys don’t go far: the tennis club and gym for example; going to the local town centre. These are three or five mile journeys. And the e-Golf can make a real difference to air quality.
My wife is also highly sceptical. Will it be odd to drive? What happens if you run out of charge? All relevant questions and we’re going to find out.
But first, to make EV (electric vehicle) motoring work, you need a home charger.
And Ben from Pod Point came round to instal a 7kW home charger.
The Government helps with the cost of installation through the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme.
This is a grant contribution of 75% towards the cost of one chargepoint and its installation up to a maximum of £500 (including VAT) per household. It can only be claimed by an OLEV approved installer such as Pod Point
Installation of the Pod Point charger didn’t take long – three hours in total. And despite having to run a large cable through an internal wall into our garage then over and out the other side was really not intrusive. Or messy.
So that’s the juicing bit sorted.
But what’s the e-Golf like to drive?
Eerily silent. Start the car and a few things whirr. Then release the handbrake – and move forward gingerly – brake. And then you get the first noise. The sound of brake pads on metal disc.
Strange.
But that’s it. You have entered a different driving dimension.
The drive system is either forward or reverse. Although forward has two settings; normal; and with regeneration (which gives you braking when you decelerate and regenerates the battery). I use the regeneration setting – on short journeys it’s real fun to try and reach your destination and return with the same range.
It’s part of the different driving experience that’s e-Golf driving. Including the silence.
Volkswagen e-Golf 136PS 5dr
- Power – 136PS
- Torque – 214Nm
- Transmission – direct drive single -speed gearbox
- Top speed – 93mph
- 0-62mph – 9.6s
- CO2 emissions – 0g/km
- Company car tax band 2017/18 – 13%
- Range – 124 miles
