Pure-Electric Volvo C30 to Debut at Detroit Show, Trial Runs Start in 2011

Volvo is the second automaker after BMW and its Concept ActiveE to announce the debut of a pure-electric model based on a production car at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show next January. And like BMW, Volvo plans to build a test fleet of at least 50 plug-in C30s, which will be used in real-life traffic from 2011.

The Swedes first showed us an electric C30 prototype in September 2009. Aside from being based on the facelift C30, the Detroit Show model has been further refined and now features both a complete interior and full instrumentation, as well as enhanced battery packaging.

"The first prototype helped us identify the main technological challenges, such as battery packaging and safety issues." said Lennart Stegland, Director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles.

"We have addressed these challenges without compromising the C30's cool and fun-to-drive personality. I am very happy with the result. The electric C30 in Detroit is a much more complete product," Stegland concluded.

The latest plug-in C30 uses an electric motor fitted under the bonnet while the Lithium-Ion batteries (24 kWh) are installed in the propshaft tunnel and in the space normally occupied by the fuel tank, outside the passenger compartment and away from the deformations zones for safety reasons.

The Lithium-Ion batteries that can be recharged via either a regular household power socket or special roadside charging stations. The Swedes said that a full recharge takes about eight hours

The three-door hatchback has a top speed of about 130 km/h or 81 mph, while Volvo said that it can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (96km/h) in less than 11 seconds. The car's driving range is up to 150 km or 94 mile, which Volvo claims covers the daily transport needs of more than 90 percent of all motorists in Europe.

Aside from the special graphics, colors and wheels, the electric C30 looks no different on the outside than a regular C30 while inside, the most obvious changes concern the new trim, revised instrument panel and the new gear selector.

Volvo Goes All-Electric with C30 BEV Prototypes

In addition to the market introduction of a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid in 2012 (details here), Volvo is also working on a pure electric model with the C30 BEV, which stands for 'Battery Electric Vehicle". The Swedish automaker has built a small number of prototype versions of the C30 BEV that will are to be tested internally by Volvo to evaluate the vehicle in real-life conditions with much of the focus being on the integration of the electric propulsion system with the rest of the car.

"The Volvo C30 is the first model we will try out with electric power. This car's excellent properties in city traffic and its relatively low weight make it particularly suitable, since electric cars are primarily expected to be used in and around cities and for daily commuting," says Lennart Stegland, Director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles.

The C30 BEV is powered by an electric motor housed under the hood that drives the front wheel. Energy is provided by a 24kW Lithium-Ion battery that can be fully charged through a regular 230V household socket in about eight hours.

Volvo says that the all-electric C30 accelerates from 0 to 100km/h (62mph) in less than 11 seconds while the vehicle's top speed has been limited to around 130km/h (80mph). The car has a driving range of up to 150 kilometres or 93 miles, which Volvo claims is "longer and far better than the distance 90 percent of all Europe's motorists drive per day."

The Swedish automaker said that while the company's main focus over the next years will be plug-in hybrids, they will assess the viability of all-electric vehicles. According to the company, the are several factors that will determine the success or not of dedicated electric cars.

"The consumer must feel that this type of car is attractive both to drive and own," says Paul Gustavsson, Director of Electrification Strategy at Volvo Cars.

"In order to ensure this, we feel that electric cars will have to be as comfortable and safe and offer similar levels of performance as cars with other power sources. The learning from the C30 BEV project will help us to fulfill all these criteria and showcase Volvo's determination to drive developments in the field of electrification."

VIDEO: Volvo V70 Diesel-Electric Plug-in Hybrid

On Monday, Volvo announced that it has teamed up with Swedish energy giant Vattenfall to introduce plug-in hybrid models to the market in 2012. But before we see the final production cars arriving in showrooms, Volvo will present a trio of V70 diesel plug-in hybrid demonstrator cars this summer to test the new technology. Click through to watch the video that includes interviews with several Volvo officials as well as footage of the demo V70 plug-in hybrid in action.

Volvo Introduces V70 Plug-in Electric-Diesel Hybrid, Production Models Set for 2012

Swedish automaker Volvo has revealed plans to have a production plug-in diesel-electric hybrid model on the market as early as 2012. To help achieve its goal, Volvo has formed a joint partnership with Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall. The two companies have been cooperating in the field of plug-in hybrid technology since early 2007. Volvo also announced that it has readied three prototype V70 Diesel-Electric plug-in hybrid models that will be used to gather information on the new technology, to determine driver habits and to establish how they want to charge their cars.

On its behalf Vattenfall will, among other things, test various concepts for high-speed home charging and also for charging stations in public places, where owners pay to fuel with electricity instead of petrol or diesel.

The prototype V70 Plug-in Hybrids combine a front-mounted diesel engine that is designed to run on renewable synthetic fuels and will meet forthcoming extremely stringent exhaust regulations, with a rear-mounted electric motor powered by a 11.3 kWh Li-ion battery pack. The battery takes about five hours to charge from a standard wall socket, and the battery is also charged every time the car's brakes are applied.

Volvo said that the cars that are planned to go into series production in 2012 will feature somewhat different technology, but claimed that the launch of the prototype vehicles is a step towards series-producing plug-in hybrid cars specifically tailored to market needs.

The automaker claims that while the purchase price of the plug-in hybrids will be higher than that of conventional cars, its fuel costs will be cut to roughly one-third compared with diesel power.

"We are investing in an industrial joint venture to series-produce plug-in hybrid cars in Sweden in 2012, cars that can be powered by both electricity and diesel." says Stephen Odell, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. "This is an important business development for us and our partnership with Vattenfall allows us to take a giant step toward offering our customers cars with an even smaller environmental footprint."

VIDEO: Volvo S60 Four-Door Coupe Concept First Drive

In about a year's time, Swedish automaker Volvo will perform the market launch of the all new S60 premium sedan that will be heavily based on the stylish S60 Concept that made its global debut at the Detroit Show this past January. We've already seen static footage of the four-door coupe design study but now Sweden's Teknikens Varld magazine took the one-off concept car for a quick spin. Unfortunately, Google has yet to find a way to automatically translate audio from videos, so unless you happen to hook up with a bilingual Swedish gal, you're better off lowering the volume in order to enjoy to the ride.

Via: Teknikens

Volvo S60 Concept: First Teaser Shots Revealed Ahead of Detroit Show

Today Volvo announced that it will give us our first taste of the next generation S60 saloon at the Detroit international motor show in January 2009 with the unveiling of the S60 Concept car. Although no exterior photos were issued, the Swedish automaker did release a 3D impression of the concept car's cabin that features a 1.6-meter (5.2 feet) long floating crystal center stack. The latter has been developed in cooperation with world-famous Swedish glassworks Orrefors. -Continued

"If you want to explore the full scope of Scandinavian design, Sweden's glassworks are a natural source of inspiration. Large glass areas are very much part of modern Swedish architecture, creating the special, light transparency," said Volvo Cars design director Steve Mattin.says Steve Mattin.

"The full-size crystal piece in the concept car will not be a production feature. However, it does open up opportunities to use crystal on a smaller scale in the future. We'll have to see how our customers respond," Martin added.

Although no other details were released, according to our sources, Volvo's next generation mid-size sedan will be loosely based on the underpinnings of the new Ford Mondeo with the production version slated to hit showrooms in 2010.