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Volkswagen Reveals Golf 48V Mild Hybrids, Rear Electric Motor Considered

Mazda isn't the only company looking to make its hatchback more powerful and efficient at the same time. Volkswagen has just revealed that it is indeed working on a 1.5 TSI MHEV (mild hybrid electric vehicle) system which is likely to make its debut in the next Golf.
Volkswagen Reveals Golf 48V Mild Hybrids, Rear Electric Motor Considered 10 photos
Photo: Volkswagen
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This is something we talked about a few months ago when rumors about the softly hybridized Golf BlueMotion emerged. However, Autocar magazine was allowed to test the Golf 1.5 TSI MHEV and came back with a ton of information in its review.

Obviously, the mild hybrid setup is a cheap way of getting better gas mileage with a regular gasoline engine without resorting to plug-in hybrids. But what's Volkswagen's take on this?

More than one system

The Golf prototype looks like any other hatchback. However, it's 1.5-liter TSI engine has been paired with a small 8 kW starter-generator. It's integrated via a belt, so it's basically a lot like a regular alternator.

Things get strange when you realize that the 48-volt lithium-ion battery is joined by another 12-volt pack that run the standard "appliances" of the car. We understand why they did that: you have a normal Golf setup, and you add the 48V system for the people who go green.

But the review also talks about a GOlf MHEV Plus, which is a lot more exciting. Its electric motor is rated at 35 horsepower which in the Golf powers the front wheels.

However, it can also be installed on the back axle, which gives whatever car they fit it to a sort of temporary AWD configuration. We've seen that on the Japanese Prius, which uses the e-power to deal with a slippery driveway or cornering.

A Volkswagen engineer demonstrated how the MHEV Plus system could get a front-drive Tiguan unstuck from sand. So we're right to draw the parallel with the Prius. Finally, there's a 1.5 TSI version with 180 HP on its way, which sounds like a response to Ford and Honda.

This sort of technology will undoubtedly impact the Golf 8. However, it's interesting to see what will happen to the cars that are already in production.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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