Cheap and Green: Volkswagen Wants to Build You a Low-Priced Electric

“Do those non-diesel things, only better,” seems to be Volkswagen’s mantra these days.

The aftermath of the continuing diesel emissions scandal saw the embattled automaker dive deep into cleaner technology, and it now looks like VW wants its name on a relatively cheap electric vehicle, Autocar reports (via Carscoops).

The company has been bullish on electrification ever since the scandal broke, but its current financial situation means careful planning is in order. The standalone EV model would likely ride atop VW’s modular MEB platform, which the company sees as being a big money saver — once more models begin using it.

If the company reaps the anticipated benefits of its plug-in platform, it hopes to offer the new EV at a price lower than its electric e-Golf, with a far better range.

“The MEB platform toolkit gives us the perfect opportunity to gain scale by using the platform solution in as many ways as possible,” said Frank Welsch, technical development head for VW. “If we can achieve scale then all sorts of things will become open to us, from reduced costs to faster R&D.”

The newest version of the e-Golf (which carries an MSRP of $28,995, before a federal tax credit) arrives in less than a year with a 108-mile range, better than the current model’s 83-mile range, but lagging that of upcoming models like the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model 3.

To stand out from the pack, the company is aiming for a 310-mile range for its future EV (or a nicely rounded 300 kilometres for metric aficionados), with an ultra-fast charging time of 15 minutes.

Volkswagen’s green epiphany isn’t relegated to just battery-powered vehicles and hybrids. Last week, the automaker showed off its new 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, festooned with every gas-saving technology it could lay its hands on.