Volvo plans to have a fleet of electric vehicles by 2011

At the Detroit Volvo show, the company will present a version of its completely electric C30 model with a range of 150 kilometres. The news itself is not as surprising as the brand’s plans for the coming years: the next step is to build a fleet of 50 vehicles identical to this one for 2011 to be used in real traffic and to obtain a battery (and no pun intended) of test data.

The experts at Volvo will, within two years, have a wealth of reliable, high-quality data on this type of vehicle and how it performs in real life. Low tolerance to extreme temperatures, the convenience and feasibility of charging your car for 8 hours every 150 kilometres, something any regular driver does within a few days, battery lifespan… all these situations will be studied in depth by the company.

Technical specifications

• Car model: Volvo standard C30 with 4 seats
• Main engine: Electric 40/82 kW
• Power output: Electric 111 horsepower
• Acceleration 0 to 100 km/h: 10.5 seconds.
• Battery charging time: Standard socket, 230 V 16 amps. Less than 8 hours.
• Battery range: 150 kilometres.
• Battery energy content: 24 kWh nominal, of which 22.7 are used to power the vehicle.
• Battery weight : 280 kilograms.
• CO2 emissions: none.

A few years ago, owning an electric car seemed like science fiction. In just two years we will be able to go to any Swedish city and possibly come across one of the 50 cars built by Volvo testing this type of propulsion for its vehicles.

Source | Volvo