VW C Coupe GTE Concept lands in Shanghai

Volkswagen C Coupe GTE Concept

 The C Coupé GTE presented at Auto Shanghai (20 to 29 April 2015) has one of the world's most modern plug-in hybrid systems on board. It consists of a turbocharged direct injection petrol engine (TSI) with four cylinders, an 8-speed automatic gearbox, the electric motor integrated in the gearbox module and a lithium-ion battery. The TSI has a power output of 155 kW / 210 PS and the electric motor 91 kW / 124 PS. The battery integrated at the rear has energy content of 14.1 kWh. The hybrid drive develops 180 kW / 245 PS of system power and impressive system torque of 500 Nm. Thanks to the battery that can be charged both externally and whilst driving, the concept car can travel up to 50 kilometres powered purely by electricity i.e. without any local emissions. (Maximum speed in "E-Mode": 130 km/h). It has combined fuel consumption (NEDC for plug-in hybrid vehicles) of 2.3 l/100 km; this corresponds to CO2 emissions of just 55 g/km. The vehicle has a total range of more than 1,100 kilometres. Despite being so efficient, the C Coupé GTE is an agile premium class model: the Volkswagen accelerates to 100 km/h in just 8.6 seconds and has a top speed of 232 km/h. The driver can choose between the operating modes "Hybrid", "E-Mode", "GTE" and "Battery Charge/Battery Hold".

Hybrid

The concept car starts by default in Hybrid mode. The C Coupé GTE is a full hybrid, which charges its battery via regenerative braking and automatically utilises the right combination of TSI and/or electric motor according to the specific driving situation. As soon as the driver releases the accelerator pedal, and the battery is sufficiently charged, all drive sources are shut off and decoupled from the drivetrain. This is a special form of "coasting". Zero emissions are produced in this mode. If the driver decelerates the vehicle and the battery is insufficiently charged, the electric motor operates as a generator and feeds the energy recovered from braking into the lithium-ion battery. In this case, the TSI is also shut off and decoupled.

E-Mode

In E-Mode, which the driver activates by pressing a button, only the electric motor provides propulsive power. During electric driving, the TSI is decoupled from the drivetrain by disengaging the clutch, and it is shut off. As soon as the petrol engine needs to be used again - due to the battery's charge state or other parameters - it is smoothly coupled to the drivetrain again within fractions of a second. The lithium-ion battery supplies the electric motor with energy. The power electronics integrated in the engine compartment manage the flow of high-voltage electricity to and from the battery and the electric motor. The vehicle's 12-Volt electrical system is supplied with electricity via a DC/DC converter.

GTE

The GTE button - positioned to the left of the gear lever like the E-Mode button - activates GTE mode, i.e. the particularly dynamic side of the concept car. The accelerator pedal, gearbox and steering characteristics are now even sportier. Furthermore, in GTE mode, the TSI and electric motor work together in 'boosting' which calls up the full system power and maximum system torque.

Battery Charge/Battery Hold

The dual mode Battery Hold (battery's energy content is kept constant) or "Battery Charge" (battery is charged while driving) is activated from a submenu of the infotainment system. This enables zero-emission driving in E‑Mode at the press of a button, for example in a city destination.