If vehicles with cheerful explanation points in their names makes you feel warm inside, then the Volkswagen e-Load Up! is the car for you. Astute Volkswagen fans will note the name’s similarity to another Volkswagen model, the e-Up!, a spunky two-seat electric car designed for tooling around the city leaving nothing but smiles and environmentally friendly rainbows in its wake. Now the automaker is looking to build a light electric van for small business owners, and what better way to do that than giving it an uber-positive name?
In the words of a Volkswagen representative, the e-Load Up! “is a small van that will be inexpensive to maintain, flexible and environmentally friendly.” As many business owners know, keeping costs low and maximizing your time are two crucial ingredients to getting your company off the ground. This small van is being built with the business owner in mind, offering a normal day’s range, ample storage space, and solidly built mechanicals.
Many people wonder how much driving time electric vehicles offer before needing a charge. It’s helpful to think in terms of the 25 miles that separate Raleigh from Durham. With a maximum range estimated at around 100 miles, the e-Load Up! should be able to handle a day or two of driving with a recharge. And when you do need a charge, there are dozens of electric charging stations all over the Triangle area including 14 in downtown Raleigh alone.
Not that you need anything more than a regular wall outlet. The e-Load Up! has a 30-minute charge time at fast-charge stations and eight hours at a standard socket, so it can easily recharge overnight or even before lunch if you have a fast-charge station near your workplace. Plus, as we reported earlier this week, VW is developing a new battery for electric vehicles called lithium-air which aims to triple or quadruple electric vehicles current ranges. That would make them roughly equivalent to gas-powered vehicles.
Volkswagen has not officially stated that the e-Load Up! is headed for production quite yet, but initial reports are indicating that the company is seriously consider the possibility. With the industry trending toward hybrid and electric vehicles across many brands and vehicle types, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the e-Load Up! get the green light within 12 months.