Prototype VW Golf wins RAC Green Challenge

A prototype electric VW Golf Blue-E-Motion never seen in the UK before has won not only its category in the RAC's new 'Future Car Challenge' but was also the overall winner of the event.

The challenge involved consuming as little energy as possible when driving from Brighton seafront to central London. The 57 mile route involved country roads and London traffic jams.

In all there were over 60 entrants - from diesels like the Polo and Golf BlueMotion, through hybrid engines to pure electric and hydrogen fuelled vehicles.

The Golf was jointly driven by a VW engineer and Jim Holder, editor of What Car?, who said that the contest taking place "on real roads and, in my case, without an expert 'eco' driver at the wheel... just underlines how efficient the Blue-E-Motion is."

The car is still currently being developed, and VW plan to make it available to order late 2013. As Holder remarked, the fact that it has already won an award at this stage can only make one "think how good it will be when it goes on sale in three years time."

The Golf Blue-E-Motion's electric motor is powered by lithium-ion batteries and has a range of around 100 miles, with a top speed of 86mph. From the outside there is practically nothing to distinguish it from any other Golf other than the slightly reduced boot volume of 279 litres.