Volkswagen's 'revolutionary' electric concept car could steal the Paris Motor Show
(Volkswagen)
Volkswagen is hyping up the electric concept car it's unveiling at the Paris Motor Show that kicks off October 1.
The German automaker said in a brief press release that "the concept car has the potential to make history with its completely new vehicle concept," adding that it's "as revolutionary as the Beetle."
Aside from those bold claims, Volkswagen offers few other details in its press release. However, we already know that the Volkswagen electric concept could beat Tesla in one key area: range.
Volkswagen CEO Hebert Diess said in August that the prototype vehicle being shown at the Paris Motor Show will have a range greater than 300 miles on a single charge. Diess also said at the time that the car unveiled at the motor show will be close to what goes into production.
The press release notes that the eventual production car will be the first on the market to use Volkswagen's modular electrification kit, known as the MEB.
(The BUDD-e concept van.Volkswagen)
Volkswagen first showed off its MEB architecture in its minibus concept, the BUDD-e, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. It was said the BUDD-e could get 373 miles on a full charge with its MEB platform, so that falls in line with the potential range Diess teased for the concept car being shown in Paris.
Volkswagen has said that the MEB will give its electric cars mileage "on par with today's gasoline-powered cars by the end of the decade." The MEB platform will be exclusive to Volkswagen's electric vehicles.
So it seems like Volkswagen is aiming to "make history" by unveiling an electric car that beats out the competition when it comes to range.
Competition is mounting in the electric car space. Tesla recently announced a battery upgrade that will increase the range of the Model S with Ludicrous mode to 315 miles, and the Model X with Ludicrous mode to 289 miles. The Chevy Bolt will have a range of 238 miles when it hits dealerships by the end of 2016.
Still, until we see the kind of range Volkswagen has been teasing in an actual production vehicle, it's unclear as to whether Volkswagen can really take on Chevy and Tesla.
Volkswagen is aiming to introduce more than 30 electrified vehicles by 2025, and to sell two to three million of them a year. The plan was released in response to the Volkswagen emissions scandal.
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