German car-making giant Volkswagen is preparing for the introduction of its electric vehicle line-up on South African roads through the local launch of the e-Golf pilot project.
The project will see six fully electric vehicles tested by motoring and lifestyle media, selected dealers and Volkswagen employees to “gain valuable consumer insights into the varying experiences of driving and living with an electric vehicle in South Africa”, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Through the involvement of selected Volkswagen dealers in Gauteng and the Western Cape, the e-Golf pilot project seeks to drive customer awareness and education regarding electric vehicles. The e-Golfs will be used as shuttles and courtesy cars for Volkswagen customers,” it said.
The e-Golf pilot project includes charging infrastructure installed in Volkswagen’s Uitenhage manufacturing plant and as well as at its Dealer Training Academy in Centurion, near Pretoria.
The project is the first step of a three-phase approach that is expected to pave the way for Volkswagen to include electric vehicles in its future product portfolio in South Africa. The second phase will be expanded to include a fleet of fully electric Volkswagen ID.3 vehicles from 2021, it said.
The third and last phase will see the first fully electric Volkswagen vehicles available for sale to customers in South Africa from 2022.
The e-Golf as well as the ID.3 will not be available for sale in South Africa and will be used solely for the purposes of ensuring as many South Africans as possible get to experience life with an electric vehicle, the company said. – © 2020 NewsCentral Media