Deep in their hearts, the folks at Volkswagen think the ICE has a long ways to go. Privately,  and after a few drinks, they often say that EVs are lunacy on  wheels. I don’t blame them.  Publicly, they put on a good show when needed. Here is another act: Volkswagen introduces an all-electric Golf.

“VW’s All-Electric Golf Hits Japan” headlines The Nikkei [sub] today. See, VW is always good for come copy, even if it’s in Hiragana and Kanji. Reading beyond the headline, the story becomes less sensational.

Volkswagen brought a one-off electric Golf to the Japanese city of Hamamatsu, where it will participate in the “Hamamatsu Social Experiment Project” (now that’s a scary title.) Supposedly, Volkswagen had “plans to commercialize this vehicle as soon as 2013,” but they always can be changed. The car is the same show piece Volkswagen has been campaigning for a while. With a full battery and a lack of sincerity.

Volkswagen’s partner Suzuki will also take part in the social experiment. They will enter a more sensible proposal, the Swift Range Extender. I guess, they are planning to sell this one.

PS: It’s interesting what comes up when you look for “Electric Golf” on Google.