2015 VW Golf GTE plug-in hybrid is a smooth operator

29-Sep-2014 08:27 EDT

Seamless is a much used, and abused, word in the automotive

industry—whether it refers to the gearshift quality of an automatic
transmission, the deactivation and reactivation of selected engine cylinders
in the cruise, or even the handover of a company from one CEO to another.

But it is a word that is particularly apposite for hybrid cars because it

should describe the transition events between electric and internal
combustion propulsion, and the union of the two. With its new 2015 Golf
GTE plug-in hybrid, Volkswagen shows how it can be done.

The GTE complements the pure-electric e-Golf

(http://articles.sae.org/13065/) and shares the powertrain of the Audi A3
e-tron: 1.4-L 110-kW (147 hp) turbocharged gasoline direct-injection
engine (TSI) plus a synchronous traction motor that provides 75 kW (100
hp) driving through a 6-speed dual-clutch gearbox. With 150 kW (201 hp)
of combined system power, the GTE goes some way to providing GTI levels
of performance. But it also offers a claimed 50 km (31 mi) pure electric
range.

Average fuel consumption on the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) is

rated at 1.5 L/100km with 11.4 kW·h/100 km electricity, which equates to
CO2 emissions of 35 g/km.
 Hanno Jelden, Head of Drivetrain Electronics for Hybrid Development,
explained the fundamental challenge of achieving the required level of
seamlessness: “Two power units, each with its own rotational energy to be
tamed, mean more challenges to smooth progress," he said. The Golf GTE
employs a modified version of Volkswagen’s proven DSG gearbox, which
has always had to provide refinement without the benefit of a torque
converter. This new DQ400e transmission designed for transverse-engine
hybrid vehicle applications contains three wet clutches—two drive clutches
and an engine-disconnect clutch located between the gasoline engine and
the electric motor. The clutches feature purpose-designed Borg-Warner-
supplied wet-friction surfaces.

The powertrain management system controls the speed and torque of

both motors and the three clutches to make progress smooth under all
conditions, even when a rapid re-start of the gasoline engine is required on
the move when the driver requests maximum power. "Under this condition
the electric motor shortens any delay by instantly adding power during the
brief period when the gasoline engine is re-started,” he noted.

When appropriate, the disengagement clutch decouples the TSI from the
driven front axle and shuts if off. This occurs when the car is coasting.

City car range on battery alone

As Automotive Engineering experienced during testing of the new GTE

in and near Zurich, Switzerland, the transitional phases are indeed smooth,
and barely noticeable by the car’s occupants and by the driver via
dashboard instruments.

The GTE’s electric motor is integrated into the gearbox housing. An electro-
mechanical brake servo and an electric air conditioning compressor are
fitted. The TSI is placed on the left of the engine compartment (seen from
the front), the electric motor in the center (in the dual-clutch housing), and
the gearbox itself on the right.

As always with any car that incorporates electric motive power, weight is a
significant factor. Breaking down the powertrain, the TSI engine weighs
103 kg (227 lb), the electric motor 34 kg (75 lb), the DSG 98.5 kg (217 lb)
and the power electronics 12 kg (26 lb). The 120-kg (265-lb) liquid-cooled
battery is tucked beneath the floor just ahead of the rear seat. Unladen
weight A (EU including 75 kg driver) is 1599 kg (3525 lb); DIN curb weight
is 1524 kg (3360 lb).

The GTE loses just over 100 liters (3.5 ft3) of trunk space, compared with
9.6 ft3 in non-hybrid Golf models, to package all necessary hybrid
components. Because of this, the fuel tank is repositioned and is 10 liters
smaller than that of a conventional Golf.
In pure electric mode, selectable via a button, the car has sufficient
practical range to fulfill a city car role. With maximum whole system torque
of 350 N·m (258 lb·ft)—the ICE's peak torque is 250 N·m (184 lb·ft) from
1600 to 3500 rpm—throttle tip-in is brisk and the car is capable of reaching
a governed 130 km/h (80 mph).

Recharge time of its 8.7-kW·h lithium-ion battery is a claimed 3 h 45 min

via a standard 240-V, 10-A European household socket or 2 h 15 min from
a 240-V, 16-A wallbox or public charging station. The car's charging socket
is configured for SAE's J1772 "combo connector" and is neatly hidden
beneath the VW emblem in the grille.

Fighting hybrid system cost

The GTE has five operating modes. The car always starts in E (electric drive
unless battery charge is low or ambient temperature is also very low). The
other four modes are: GTE, Battery Hold, Battery Charge, and Hybrid Auto.

GTE mode brings into play the car’s claim to provide near-GTI dynamics,
the ICE and electric motor combining to give a 0-100 km/h time of 7.6 s
and a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph; these figures are at curb weight
plus 200 kg).

A problem though for the GTE is its cost. In Germany the retail price is
€36,900—the equivalent of nearly $48,500 at current exchange rates and
almost $23,500 more than the U.S. Golf GTI. In the U.K. it is priced at
about £28,000, which includes a £5000 Government subsidy for vehicles
of this type. While VW has announced that it will bring the Audi A3 e-tron
to the U.S., it has not yet announced when, or if, it will import the GTE. A
Passat GTE debuted at the 2014 Paris Motor Show. Audi models in line to
get PHEV powertrains include the Q7, A6, and A8.

Said Jelden: “We looked a lot at reaction to cost. But it is very difficult to
get a cheap powertrain plus all the electronics required and the charger. Of
course, volume production will be helpful in this respect, so we start with
the plug-in hybrid Golf GTE and do everything we can to reduce costs and
optimize production and component design.”

Battery costs remain very high but Jelden is confident that these will fall,
reducing from some €500 per kW·h three years ago to possibly €200 by
2016, he estimates: “It is a matter of being patient,” he stated.

Lithium-ion battery capacity will also improve, he believes, possibly by a

factor of around 1.5 to 1.7 in about five years: “But it, too, is an
evolutionary process.”
Battery technology is a continuing challenge: “Everything that is possible
to have in series production in 10 years’ time we need to know about
today," Jelden said. "It takes a decade from research to market for complex
batteries.”

Software and control systems are both developed in-house by Volkswagen

and their modular application to other hybrids in the VW Group makes a
significant contribution to economies of scale.

Higher-torque-density e-motor coming

But some of this may be offset by the need for more powerful electric
motors. “We will try to get higher torque in the same package – the same
length. Or we can make a smaller electric motor with the same 75-kW
power of the type used for the GTE.” Like aerodynamics, advances are
expected to be achieved via attention to detail: “We have plans to achieve
a high torque density in the package,” he noted.

Use of a diesel engine would be a contributor to higher system torque but

that would put the vehicle unit cost even higher, Jelden noted. And the
DQ400e DSG has an input-torque limitation of 350 N·m (258 lb·ft). It would
be possible to increase this, but that might make the transmission
physically bigger and heavier to create a packaging challenge, and add
cost.

As for the vexed issue of fuel cell cars, Jelden observed cautiously:
“Possible time to market has been constant for the last 20 years: 10-15
years.” But he believes that if battery technology continues to improve, the
fuel cell solution may not be necessary.

Meanwhile, though, the VW Group continues its fuel cell program—just in

case.