VW starts testing electric cars, sees launch by 2010
BERLIN (Thomson Financial) — Volkswagen has started testing a new electricity-powered car engine and expects to launch the first cars fitted with it by 2010, CEO Martin Winterkorn said.
Speaking during a presentation of the first Golf model fitted with such an engine, Winterkorn said the system, called “TwinDrive,” has an electric engine that can also be powered by gasoline for long-distance travel.
VW said the technology allows cars to run on a purely electricity powered engine for a distance of up to 50 kilometers.
German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at the same VW event that it is possible to see around 1 million hybrid-engine cars on German roads by 2020 and 10 million by 2030.
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