Volkswagen CEO Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn and German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel have revealed a new plug-in hybrid electric car called the Golf Twin Drive and expects to launch the first electric cars by 2010.

Speaking during a presentation of the first Golf model fitted with such an engine, Winterkorn said the system, called "Twin Drive," has an electric engine that can also be powered by gasoline for long-distance travel.

Volkswagen is developing the Twin Drive system with eight German partners and is planning twenty prototype vehicles in order to effectively test the real world capabilities of the next-generation system.

VW said the technology allows cars to run on a purely electricity powered engine for a distance of up to 50 kilometers or 31 miles and can be plugged into to existing power outlets for recharging.

GAIA Akkumulatorenwerke GmbH (GAIA), Lithium Technology’s German subsidiary, will power the project with seven lithium ion batteries that are based on iron phosphate cathode chemistry with energy content of about 12kWh.

Earlier this month, Volkswagen linked with Sanyo to jointly develop lithium ion batteries.

German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said at the same VW event that it is possible to see around 1 million hybrid-engine cars on German roads by 2020 and 10 million by 2030.

Volkswagen said the electricity used to charge the fleet of test vehicles will be generated from renewable sources like wind and solar power.

Germany's Environment Ministry is pumping 15 million euros (24 million dollars) into the research project, which has eight partners including Volkswagen and will cost a total 45 million euros.

Source: http://puregreencars.com.