We have been charged up for more than 40 years. The electric pioneers e-booklet

The first results of this research to be rolled out was the Type 2 electric van developed in 1972 – a second-series camper van converted to an electric drive. And not long after, the compact top-selling Golf was zipping around the country emission-free, boosted by the price shock experienced by drivers at German petrol stations as a result of the oil crisis. Initially just a test vehicle, there were small production runs of the Golf CitySTROMer that gave Volkswagen valuable insights into the development of electric drives.

All of this knowledge and experience flowed into our first large-scale production vehicle with a purely electric drive system – the latest e-Golf1. With a range of 300 kilometres, recuperation and quick-charging technology and state-of-the-art connectivity systems on board, the zero-emission vehicle epitomises pioneering technology in a familiar guise.

And the future remains exciting. That’s because Volkswagen is already working flat out on the next generation of electric models. The I.D.2 and I. D. BUZZ3 concept vehicles give an idea of how they will look in future. They not only set new standards in terms of their drive technology, but will also provide a completely new kind of digital experience – including fully automatic driving.