Passat GTE

The plug-in hybrid powertrain of the Passat GTE, previously utilised by the Volkswagen Golf GTE and Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, is featured with a larger battery pack and a more powerful ICE in this model.^[14] The GTE has an 85 kW (115 hp) three-phase permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, coupled with a gross 9.9 kWh lithium-ion battery capable of a maximum all-electric range of 50 km (31 mi) and a total range of 965 km (600 mi).

A plug-in hybrid car is an electric car and a hybrid car all into one.

If the electric range is enough and the car is kept charged, the car can drive multiple hundreds of km (and multiple weeks) without using the petrol engine at all.

If the electric range uses up all the energy from the battery, the car then uses the same battery (1 kWh of it) to run in a regular petrol-electric-hybrid mode that uses mostly the recuperation of energy from when the car is slowing down to generate electricity to start from a standstill, to travel distances in electric mode, to power the air conditioning, entertainment and lights.

If the car goes down a hill it can generate a couple of kWhs that it then uses to travel for a couple of kilometers / miles in electric mode.

Advantages of a plug-in hybrid car

• The car doesn't emit toxic gases when in electric mode. The car doesn't emit greenhouse gases when in electric mode. So it should be charged as often as possible.
• The car is quieter. There are less vibrations. The drive is more relaxed. The music sounds better.
• The car is more efficient at travelling the same distance and can travel longer distances with the same energy.
  • it recuperates energy that it then uses to start from a standstill, to travel distances in electric mode, to power the air conditioning, entertainment and lights.
  • the electric motor is vastly more efficient (90%) at turning energy into travelling distances than petrol cars (30%) and diesel cars (40%).
• The real life electric range (around 25 km (16 mi) to 50 km (31 mi)) is longer than the daily commute for many people. This means they can travel in electric mode all week for multiple weeks in a row.
• The car doesn't let the users stranded when the electric range is used all up. It relieves the range anxiety.
• When the battery's energy is depleted in electric mode, the car activates the regular petrol - electric - hybrid mode that is still more efficient than a non-hybrid internal combustion car.
• Starting the internal combustion engine is more refined (usually not noticeable) because is done using a belt attached to the electric motor instead of a geared starter motor. This is also true for mild hybrid cars.
• It uses some components (brakes and internal combustion engine) less so they last longer.
• As we generate more electricity from cleaner sources (wind energy, solar energy etc), this is a way to use that energy.

Disadvantages of a plug-in hybrid car

• they still burn fossil fuels and emit toxic gases and greenhouse gases.
• they usually have a relatively short real life electric range (around 25 km (16 mi) to 50 km (31 mi)).
• they have to be charger often / daily (including on weekend days) to be able to run in electric mode, their most efficient and clean mode.
• plug-in hybrid cars are more complex, they are hybrid cars with a charging system with a plug and a (10x - 20x) bigger battery.
• plug-in hybrid cars are more expensive.

Fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions for a full tank of petrol

The fuel tank can take 52 l (11.4 imp gal; 13.7 US gal) even though the car's owners' manual reports 50 l (11.0 imp gal; 13.2 US gal)

1 l/100 km (280 mpg UK; 240 mpg US) generates 23.61 grams of CO₂ for each kilometer (see Diesel fuel#Fuel value and price)

Each 1L/100km * 32.18 MJ/L * 73.38 gr of CO₂/MJ = 23.61 grams of CO₂/km. For example, 8 l/100 km (35 mpg UK; 29 mpg US) create 23.61 * 8 = 189 grams of CO₂/km.

The density of Carbon dioxide is 1.977 kg/m³ (3.332 lb/cu yd) when it's a gas at 1 atm and 0 °C.

The 52 l (11.4 imp gal; 13.7 US gal) of a full tank will always be transformed in 62.11 m³ (2,193 cu ft), 122.79 kg (270.7 lb) of CO_2.

Electric part

The net (usable) battery capacity is 8.4 kWh (the car will never use more than this on a full charge). This represents 85% of the gross battery capacity. The car reports the 7% charge level of the gross battery as empty and the 93% charge level as full. This increases the battery life by a factor of around 6. The battery will be able to keep its charge after 6 times more charging operations. By using only 85% of the capacity, after 6000 charging operations, the battery will still be able to hold the same amount of charge that it would be able to store after just 1000 charging operations if it were to use 100% of the capacity. 6000 daily charging operations represents a period of over 16 years of daily recharges.

The maximum charging speed is 3.5 kW (220 V at 16 A) and is constant for the duration of the charging. When the battery is completely empty, it will recharge to full in 2 hours and 24 minutes (8.4 kWh / 3.5 kW = 2.4 hours = 144 minutes = 2h24min). A half full battery will recharge at 3.5 kW in 1 hour and 12 minutes.

The 2019 version comes with an bigger (13 kWh vs 9.9 kWh) battery. The time to fully charge is 13 kWh * 85% / 3.5 kW = 11 kWh / 3.5 kW = 3.15 hours = 190 minutes = 3h10min.

Since the space under the trunk is used by the battery and the 52 l (11.4 imp gal; 13.7 US gal) fuel tank, the Passat GTE doesn't come with a spare wheel.

If the electric range is enough and the car is kept charged, the car can drive multiple hundreds of km (and multiple weeks) without using the petrol engine at all. Because of this, the petrol fuel tank is pressurized to avoid the loss of petrol vapors.

In freezing temperatures, the initial power consumption can be around 80 kWh / 100 km. After a few minutes, it can stabilize around 40 kWh / 100 km. The overall drop in range can be around 30%-50% in freezing temperatures vs in ideal temperatures 25 °C (77 °F). Heating up the cabin with electric power can use up to 5-6 kWh/h in freezing temperatures, but after a couple of minutes it lowers to 2-3 kWh/h. When the temperature gets to the desired level, the usage settles around 0.6 kWh/h (which means the compressor of the A/C is temporarily turned off). For very short trips (like 5-10 minutes), it can help to set the temperature at a lower value (like 16–18 °C (61–64 °F)) to avoid wasting energy instead of setting it 23 °C (73 °F). The heated seats have a low energy footprint (0.3 kWh/h max). The Volkswagen GTE doesn't offer a heated steering wheel.

Charging the Battery

Internal combustion engine

Paired with the 1.4 liter (1,395 cc (85 cu in)) ACT-equipped TSI EA211 CUKC petrol engine (156 PS (115 kW; 154 hp) at 6000 rpm, 250 Nm (184 lb ft)), it will deliver a fuel economy of 1.8 l/100 km (160 mpg UK; 130 mpg US) equivalent on the New European Driving Cycle, corresponding to CO
2 emissions lower than 40g/km. Top speed is 219 km/h (136 mph).^[14][15]

ACT means the engine can run on just 2 of the 4 cylinders when the load is very small and using all 4 cylinders would waste fuel.

The gear box is a 6 speed DSG with 3 wet (oil) clutches (2 clutches for the 6 speeds of the ICE and 1 clutch for the electric motor).

The car has a 12 V battery in the trunk (in left-side wall of the car, behind the left tail light). Using a regular 12 V battery ensures that the hybrid car can share as many components (A/C, radio, infotainment, dashboard, cabin lighting, headlights etc.) with ICE cars of the same model. Hybrid cars tend to have lower consumption (LED) lights to use as little energy as possible.

Because the car can drive multiple hundreds of km (and multiple weeks) without using the petrol engine at all, the petrol fuel tank is pressurized to avoid the loss of petrol vapors.

B-mode or Regenerative Braking

Using the gear lever, the driver can switch between the 2 different algorithms of the DSG

1. B-mode or Regenerative Braking or One Pedal Driving: as the driver raises the foot from the acceleration pedal, the car progressively starts generating more and more electric energy from the kinetic energy of the car and charges the battery. When the foot is completely off the pedal, the generation of electric energy is at its maximum (which can be as much as 70 kW compared to the 3.5 kW that the car accepts when charging from an outlet). When going down a mountain for multiple (5) kilometers it can generate enough power that can cause the battery to heat up and, to avoid overheating, the car will start to progressively limit the maximum electric power that it generates and will also use the disk brakes to slow down the car. The car will also limit the generated power if there's nowhere to put it (when the battery is already full) or if the battery has a limited capacity of receiving the energy (if the temperature of the battery is below freezing). Driving in electric mode uses up the energy and makes room for more and heats up the battery increasing its capacity to receive a greater electric power. The dashboard displays the relative capacity of the battery to receive energy. When the regeneration is at its maximum, the car can effectively be driven with just the acceleration pedal (One Pedal Driving). Still, in the GTE, the strength of the Regenerative Braking is less than that in the 100% electric cars and this strength of the Regenerative Braking can't be increased with the pedals on the steering wheel. In some markets/cultures, the drivers of the ICE cars may used to more a vigorous braking when stopping at a red light than the Regenerative Braking provides. Also using the brake pedal activates the brake disks which brings the braking speed in line with the expectations. This is not a problem but should be mentioned as something that happens.
2. Drive or Coasting: when the foot is off the acceleration pedal, the electric motor is not connected and the car moves on its inertia.

Usage of the engine and electric motor

The car doesn't have a regular Bendix starter motor.

From a standstill, only the electric motor is used.

If the battery has enough charge, the car starts in Electric mode and will run in electric mode until the battery is depleted or the driver changes the drive mode.

When in Hybrid or GTE mode, if the full power of the engine is needed, it will run on 4 cylinders. If 4 cylinders generate more power than needed, it will disconnect 2 of the cylinders, using ACT. If even that is too much and B-mode is active, it will shut down the engine and connect the electric motor which will start using the kinetic energy and turn it into electricity which charges the battery. The car can start and stop the engine multiple times per minute and, generally, it's pretty seamless. It can be a bit noticeable when it's freezing outside, but it soon (2-3 minutes) gets better as the system heats up a bit. When the engine is at freezing temperatures in the beginning of the journey, the start&stop feature will not be used at all to heat up the system as soon as possible.

The gas / acceleration pedal has a button below it, at the end of its travel. This button is called the Kickdown button. When pressing the pedal beyond what it feels like flooring the pedal, the Kickdown button will be pressed and will activate the electric boost when in Hybrid mode. That is the only way to activate the electric boost while in Hybrid mode.

Behaviors across the drive modes (GTE, Hybrid, Electric)

Sedan vs Variant

Generally, the sedan and the variant are very much alike.