VWCV Boss Stephan Shcaller presents the Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel Concept at the Driving Ideas function held by the Volkswagen Group

World premiere of the Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel concept carNatural gas variant of the new Caddy Maxi shines with lowest costs and a range of 570 km in natural gas mode

Spaciousness of the seven-seater preserved without compromises

Hanover / Geneva, March 2008. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is showing the Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel in a world premiere on the occasion of the 78th Geneva Motor Show. At Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, the supplemental “EcoFuel” name traditionally stands for a vehicle powered by natural gas, which is as environmentally friendly as it is inexpensive. The Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel is still a concept car. But it demonstrates such near-production maturity that a production launch toward the end of the year cannot be ruled out. A gigantic plus of the Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel is ist range, which is sensational for vehicles of this type: 570 kilometers in pure natural gas operation.
When the auxiliary “reserve gasoline tank” is included, this ,yields a theoretical range of 700 kilometers. The reason: just like, the shorter Caddy EcoFuel, which advanced to become the bestselling natural gas vehicle in Germany in the year 2007, the Caddy Maxi EcoFuel – extended by 47 centimeters – was designed to be quasi-monovalent. This means that the 2.0 liter four cylinder has a high compression ratio of 13.5:1 for optimal energy utilization in natural gas mode. Nonetheless, it can be operated with gasoline too. In either case, the engine develops output power of 80 kW / 109 PS at 5,400 rpm.

Even the “short” Caddy, whose four tanks can hold a maximum of 26 kilograms of natural gas, has an impressive range of about 430 kilometers, a value that so far has not been attained by any other vehicle on the market. The Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel travels even further! Thanks to its extended wheelbase, the concept vehicle has a total natural gas capacity of 37 kilograms. In pure natural gas mode, this yields a range of over 570 kilometers for the seven seater – a sensational value for a natural gas vehicle.

On average, the Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel consumes just 6.1 kilograms natural gas per 100 kilometers. Currently, fuel costs to drive this distance in Germany would be about 5.50 euros. So, the Caddy Maxi Life EcoFuel is being showcased as an economical and at the same time versatile and multitalented vehicle.

If the vehicle’s natural gas supply is insufficient to reach one of the 800 natural gas filling stations in Germany, as mentioned the engine can also be powered by gasoline. The switchover is automatic. The engine controller compensates for the high compression by retarding the ignition angle and reducing the throttle valve setting. Gasoline mode is then indicated to the driver in the cockpit. Together with the gasoline reserve of 13 liters, this results in a total range of 700 kilometers.

Body and cargo capacity

From a purely visual perspective, the nearly production-ready concept is indistinguishable from a conventionally fueled Caddy Maxi Life. The tanks are integrated in a space-saving way as an underbody concept to preserve variability and cargo capacity, which remain unchanged.

Based on its 4.88 meter length, the EcoFuel concept of the Caddy Maxi Life is able to offer an enormous cargo capacity of maximum 3,700 liters. Similarly, up to seven persons can be transported in three seat rows (2 / 3 / 2) with maximum comfort in the standard layout. Even when all seven seating positions are occupied, 530 liters of cargo space is still available. The second seat row can be folded and stowed, and the third seat row can also be fully removed with just a few hand movements. This increases cargo capacity to 1,350 liters.

Sliding doors that are 700 millimeters wide and 1,108 millimeters tall provide for comfortable entry into the Caddy Maxi Life. Instead of the standard tailgate, asymmetrically split rear tailgate
doors can be ordered as an option.

Two other model variants in planning

In a potential production launch, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles would offer the Caddy Maxi EcoFuel in two other equipment versions analogous to those of the “short” Caddy: the universal talent Caddy Maxi Kombi with a sliding door and seating for five, and the Caddy Maxi Kasten that is ideal for freight transport.

that gasfiller looks like an afterthought... which offcourse it is. but it just looks wrong.

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At least it is a whole lot better than what they did on the Golf BiFuel from a few years ago.

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