GOTHENBURG, Sweden — Volvo is the latest automaker to announce it will put a plug-in hybrid into production. Its diesel-electric hybrid car will go on the market in Europe in 2012, the company announced on Friday. Which model or models it will be, Volvo didn't say, but the company has already created a plug-in hybrid version of the V70.
Volvo says its plug-in hybrid will be able to travel 31 miles on all-electric power from a lithium-ion battery before switching to the diesel engine. Total driving range will be nearly 750 miles and fuel economy can get as high as 148 miles per gallon, and the vehicle can recharge completely in a standard household electrical socket in about five hours. CO2 emissions will be an ultralow 50 g/km, qualifying purchasers of the Volvo to take advantage of high government tax incentives.
Volvo Car Corporation President and CEO Stephen Odell says the Volvo plug-in will be "a truly enjoyable car to drive, featuring Volvo's high safety and comfort standards."
An interesting teaser is that Volvo dealers will offer purchasers of the plug-in hybrid a "special contract for the supply of renewable energy," made possible by a partnership with Swedish electricity supplier Vattenfall.
Volvo said it is postponing plans to build a diesel-based full hybrid "for the time being," choosing instead to install a battery and electric motor alongside a conventional Volvo driveline to get the product to market sooner.
However, last week, Volvo released images and information about its C30, a battery-electric vehicle that is currently being tested in prototype form. The company says it will make a decision about production for that vehicle once field testing is done in 2010.
Inside Line says: True to its multipronged "green" initiative already in progress, Volvo positions itself to be at the center of the coming hybrid wave. — Laura Sky Brown, Correspondent
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