Volkswagen E-Bugster – electric bug let loose in Beijing

Volkswagen has switched on the company’s electric beetle, called the E-Bugster, at the Beijing Motor Show. We last saw this at Detroit in its coupe form. For Beijing, Volkswagen has sawed off the metal lid to hint at how the future Beetle Cabriolet would look like.

The E-Bugster is strapped with an electric motor that provides 85 kWh (115 PS) of power. The motor is capable of launching the E-Bugster from standstill to 60 mph (97 km/h) in 10.9 seconds. The motor draws power from the 28.3 kWh lithium-ion batteries that offer a range of at least 177 km.

Hungry E-Bugsters can recharge to full within 35 minutes from a specialist DC source. If feeding from an AC source such as a 230-volt domestic outlet, then expect to take a little while longer for the E-Bugster to be fully charged.

The E-Bugster also has the ability to transform kinetic energy into electricity then stores it into the battery when the driver’s foot leaves the accelerator pedal. Stepping on the brakes increases makes the electric Beetle recharge quicker. The E-Bugster wears important indicators that allow the driver to constantly monitor the power. The instruments include brake-regeneration intensity, driving range, state of the battery and a meter that shows how much energy the driver is demanding from the car.

Volkswagen’s electric car measures 4,278 mm long and 1,838 mm wide, giving the E-Bugster the standard length of a Beetle but 30 mm wider. It is also 90 mm lower, created partly by the windscreen. The E-Bugster complete its sporty look by sitting on 20-inch alloy wheels wrapped with 235/55 tyres.