The lineage the e-bugster electric vehicle goes all the way back to the noble aspirations of the peoples' car, and Volkswagen's very name, so it is very fitting that the E-Bugster looks likely to form the basis of a range of E-Bugster electric vehicles.
Appropriately being shown in the the only market that has embraced electric mobility on any scale, we first saw the E-Bugster as a coupe in Detroit in January, but this time the hard-top has been removed, previewing a future Beetle Cabriolet.
We'll get a first look at the car other than pictures tomorrow at the press preview in Beijing, so stay tuned.
The drive-train is the same as the previous E-Bugster with 85 kWh (115 PS), 0 to 60 mph in 10.9 seconds, and a range of at least 110 miles from the 28.3 kWh lithium-ion batteries.
A fast-charging function allows complete recharging in just 35 minutes from a specialist DC source, or slower charging from an AC source such as a 230-volt domestic outlet.
This fast-charge capability comes courtesy of the Combined Charging System we discussed back in October
, which makes possible charging from single-phase AC sources (i.e. your domestic mains), provided an industry standard for plugs and sockets can be nailed down. "Ultra-fast" charging would be possible at dedicated DC charging stations.
On to the car. Convertibles are cars designed as hardtops and then chopped to make them convert. Cabriolets are designed to always have a removable top.