At the heart of the Volkswagen Passat GTE is the German carmaker's trusted 1.4-litre TSI turbocharged petrol engine which has been paired with an electric motor. Together, the powertrain churns out a total power output of 215bhp. While the 1.4-litre TSI engine pumps out a maximum of 154bhp, the electric motor produces the additional 113bhp. On the other hand the peak combined torque developed by the engine and the motor has been clocked at 400 Nm. As for transmission duties, it is taken care of by Volkswagen's popular 6-speed DSG gearbox.
Coming to the technology itself, the electric motor can independently offers range of 50 Km in zero emissions mode, and when combine with the engine the range shoot up to 966Km. The electric motor receives its power from a 9.9kWh lithium ion battery. Controlled by an "E-mode" button next to the gear lever, drivers can manually switch between petrol power or lithium-ion battery power, instead of letting the car do it manually. A full charge takes around 4 hours 15 minutes by through a wall plug. VW also offers a 3.6 kW quick charger, which takes just 2 hours 30 to complete the same task. Regenerative braking also helps charge the battery on the go.
The driver can choose between four different driving modes: E-mode, Hybrid, Battery Charge and GTE. Apart from controlling the emission, the battery pack provides that additional performance to the engine as well. In the combined mode the car's steering and throttle response are sharpened, which allows the Passat GTE to do a 0-100 km/h sprint in less than 8.0 seconds.
In India the Volkswagen Passat GTE will lock horns with the likes of Toyota Camry Hybrid and the upcoming Honda Accord Hybrid. The car will be launched later this year marking Volkswagen's entry into the growing hybrid/electric car segment in India.
Watch Dr. Andreas Lassota, Head of Product-lines, Sales and Marketing, Volkswagen, talk about hybrid technology:
