German Car Scene

VOLKSWAGEN GOLF BiFUEL

Posted 3rd December, 2008 in Volkswagen | Leave a comment

In a world premiere at the Bologna Motor Show, Volkswagen is presenting the first Golf ever to be factory-equipped for operation with auto gas (LPG). The bivalent drive – a simple switchover and it can be driven with gasoline – reduces costs and emissions. When the new Golf BiFuel is powered by LPG (liquified petroleum gas), its environmental impact compared to a gasoline engine: a greater than 10 percent reduction in CO2 emissions.

Safer and more durable than aftermarket solutions

Compared to aftermarket auto gas systems, the system now being presented in the Golf BiFuel offers significant advantages. For one, the car together with its fuel tanks – and this is not the case with aftermarket solutions – is crash tested as a total system; so it is very safe. Second, the engine was specially configured for LPG operation, and so it is more durable than engines originally tuned as gasoline engines. The long-term quality of the Golf BiFuel has been verified in extensive durability testing. A full factory warranty and access to the large Volkswagen wagen service network are pluses too. All of this is being offered at the same price as an aftermarket retrofit.

In LPG mode, the 72 kW / 98 PS strong 1.6 liter four-cylinder of the Golf BiFuel consumes 9.2 liters of LPG per 100 kilometers (149 g/km CO2) on average. The bottom line for these 100 kilometers based on average LPG prices in Germany: just €6.38. In gasoline mode, the Golf BiFuel consumes a still economical 7.1 liters of Super per 100 kilometers (169 g/km CO2).

Costs for gasoline operation are based on prices at the same date in Germany: €8.60.

1,100 kilometer range

In addition, the auto gas tank (41 liter effective volume at storage pressure of 8 to 10 bar) – with its space-saving installation in the spare wheel recess – and the gasoline tank (55 liter) together propel the car to a theoretical range of greater than 1,100 kilometers. In pure LPG mode, the car’s range is about 420 kilometers. The network of LPG filling stations is tightly interwoven across Europe; in Germany alone there are about 4,500 filling stations. Incidentally, the filling tube for the LPG is easy to access right next to the familiar
location of its gasoline counterpart.

The third Volkswagen making its debut in Bologna is the Golf BiFuel which has been specifically developed to run on both LPG and conventional petrol. The factory-built hatchback is fitted with a 1.6-litre four-cylinder 98 PS engine which, in conventional petrol mode, returns 39.8 mpg and emits 149 g/km of carbon dioxide. When run on LPG, the Golf BiFuel has a theoretical range of more than 260 miles, and this emissions figure is reduced by ten per cent.

The engine fitted to the Golf BiFuel has been specifically configured and tested for LPG operation making it more durable than modified petrol engines. The vehicle, with both petrol and LPG fuel tanks, has also undergone extensive crash-testing making it safer than aftermarket alternatives.

[Source: Volkswagen]