Together with electricity provider Vattenfall, Saab Automobile, ETC and the Swedish state, Volvo Car Corporation is launching a joint broad-based research venture to develop spearhead technology in the area of plug-in hybrid cars. Sweden will be the arena for the field tests.
The aim of the project is to develop and demonstrate the next-generation hybrid cars. A fleet of 10 plug-in hybrids will be produced that can be recharged directly from the mains wall socket.
Volvo has long experience of co-operation with a variety of society's actors and with this project the company aims to participate in and shape decisions and initiatives that are taken both within and outside the car industry.
Over a five-year period, Volvo Cars will invest just over 11 billion SEK (€1.16 billion) in development aimed at reducing fuel consumption and emissions. Volvo already offers its customers one of the industry's widest ranges of Flexifuel engines.
In parallel the company is continuing to enhance the efficiency of its petrol- and diesel-powered cars; 2008 will see the launch of car models that release less than 120 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre. This plug-in hybrid has individual electric wheel motors and batteries that can be recharged via a regular electrical outlet for maximum environmental benefit. Recharging allows the car to be driven about 100 km on battery power alone before the car's four-cylinder Flexifuel engine is needed to power the car and recharge the battery.
When driving on electric power only, operating costs are expected to be about 80 per cent lower than that of a comparable petrol-powered car. When driving beyond the 100 km battery range, fuel consumption may vary from 0 to 5.5 litres per 100 km, depending on the distance driven using the engine.
Used in the most effective way, this concept car cuts emissions of carbon dioxide by about 65 per cent compared with the hybrid cars available on the market today. And if the electricity comes from CO2-sustainable sources, such as hydropower and wind power, this figure improves still further.
Volvo is represented in Malta by Gasan Enterprises Ltd of Mriehel.