Volvo wants in on the EV Business, Starts Developing C30 DRIVe Electric with Fuel-Cell Range Extender

With even the likes of Porsche going green – not to mention the Chevrolet Volt or the Nissan Leaf, it's no surprise that Volvo wants a piece of the "Look at me, I'm saving the planet!" action.

They partnered up with Powercell Sweden AB (with backing from the Swedish Energy Agency) and hope that the Volvo C30 DRIVe Electric will be ready for testing on the road by 2012.

"This is an exciting expansion of our focus on electrification. Battery cost and size means that all-electric cars still have a relatively limited operating range. Fuel cells may be one way of extending the distance these cars can cover before they need to be recharged" Volvo Cars President and CEO Stefan Jacoby said. "What is more, the project gives us increased knowledge about fuel cells and hydrogen gas".

The project is in its early stages, the focus being on the range of the car. And it's no surprise, as no EV can stand a chance these days if it can't go at least 40-60 miles on one charge.

To achieve this, Volvo is cooking up -wait for it- a Range Extender. A reformer, tasked with breaking down liquid fuel and creating hydrogen gas. This gas then goes into the fuel cell and gets converted to electrical energy powering the motor.

The advantage of the process is that it's creating electricity without any emissions of carbon oxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulphur oxides (SOx) and particles whatsoever. On other thing is that the reformer can just as easily break down renewable fuels, like ethanol.

Volvo expects the Range Extender to, well, extend the range of the car by up to 250 kilometers (155 miles), in addition to the range provided by the battery pack.

By Csaba Daradics

Volvo Introduces New 2.0-liter Five-Cylinder Diesel, Upgraded Six-Cylinder petrol engines

For the 2011 model year, Volvo is introducing a new five-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo diesel that will be available throughout its range while the Swedish automaker also upgraded the six-cylinder petrol engines offered on the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60.

The new five-cylinder diesel unit is in principle the same engine as the 2.4-litre diesel, but its displacement has been reduced (with a shorter stroke) to 2.0-liters. It will be offered in three different variants in terms of output.

In the S80, V70, XC70 and XC60, the newly developed 2.0-litre diesel produces 163HP and 400 Nm of torque. In these models the engine is badged the D3.

In the smaller C30 hatchback, S40 sedan, V50 estate and C70 coupe cabriolet, the new 2.0L unit is available in two flavors, the D3 with 150HP and 350 Nm of torque and the D4 with 177HP and 400 Nm of torque.

All the variants of the new 2.0-liter turbodiesel can be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission or a six-speed manual gearbox.

In addition, Volvo updated its 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbocharged petrol T6 that now offers 304HP and 440 Nm of torque.

The six-cylinder 3.2-litre naturally aspirated engine has also been upgraded and features an improved crankshaft and less internal friction. It now produces 243HP and maximum torque is 320 Nm.

In order to meet US legislative requirements, Volvo also offers a PZEV (Partial Zero Emission Vehicle) variant of the same engine that produces 231HP and 300 Nm of peak torque.

Volvo Shows C30 Polestar Performance Concept with 405HP

This is the first official photograph of the Volvo C30 Polestar Performance concept that was revealed today at the Gothenburg Motor Show (22-25 April, 2010). The hot hatch was developed in cooperation with Volvo's racing partner, Polestar Performance, as a road car version of their C30 racer.

According to the company, the C30 Performance Concept Prototype "was designed to evaluate what happens when a Championship-winning team of race engineers and designers get free-rein to design and engineer a car rather than developing it to fit very specific race regulations."

It features a heavily modified version of the standard C30's 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with a larger turbo and intercooler, and different pistons, conrods and inlet camshaft. The result is an output of 405HP and 510Nm or 376 lb-ft of peak torque.

The hatch uses a Haldex all-wheel drive system and a Quaife mechanical differential while Polestar's engineers upgraded the car's suspension, braking and steering wheel systems.

It also features an aerodynamic kit derived from the STCC race car, large 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in beefy Pirelli P Zero 235/35 ZR 19 tires, and leather racing seats with four-point harness.

Polestar C30 Performance Concept Prototype Technical Specification

Engine:

Volvo T5: 2.5L Turbo with larger intercooler and KKK 26 turbo
Modified pistons, conrods and inlet camshaft

Power Output: 405 hp. Torque: 510 Nm

Drivetrain:
Quaife mechanical differential brake front and rear
Haldex AWD

Chassis:
Öhlins shock absorbers and springs
More responsive steering rack with 2,25 ratio

Brakes:
Front: Brembo 380mm discs with six piston calipers
Rear: Brembo 330mm discs with four piston calipers

Rims and Tyres:
BBS FI 19x8,75"
Pirelli P Zero 235/35 ZR 19

Interior:

Racing seats with Ternsjö leather and four point harness

Exterior:

Aerodynamics derived from the STCC race car

Volvo Unleashes New C30 STCC Racer [with Video]

Volvo and its motorsports partner Polestar will begin this year's Swedish Touring Car Championship (STCC) season on 24 April at Jyllandsringen in Denmark with an updated version of their ethanol-powered C30 racer based on the facelifted production model.

The new race car gets a revised front end which is longer, lower and wider, with the Swedish automaker claiming that the new design delivers a higher ground pressure at the front, and an improved airflow right around the vehicle.

"This is the fastest Volvo I've ever driven," says Volvo Polestar driver Robert Dahlgren.

"We've worked very hard to take full advantage of the new C30 facelift, spending countless hours in the wind tunnel at Volvo Cars in the process," says Jan Andersson, Technical Director of the Volvo Polestar team.

Volvo recently extended its agreement with Polestar right through to the end of the 2012 season.

____________________________________________________________________

Volvo's Racing Partner Teases C30 Concept with AWD and 400HP

Volvo has teamed up with its racing partner 'Polestar Performance', which handles the firm's championship-winning Swedish Touring Car Team, to develop the C30 Performance Concept Prototype.

The idea behind the project is to create the ultimate C30 without being halted by specific race regulations. The concept includes a 400-horsepower engine, all-wheel-drive, and aerodynamics based on Polestar's race car data.

"We love the Volvo C30 - it's a great car with huge potential for development with its low weight and low centre of gravity. It's also a fantastic road car. But now we go much further by combining the road car with cutting edge racing technology," says Robert Dahlgren, race and development driver at Polestar.

The 400HP-strong C30 concept car will have its world premiere at the Gothenburg Motor Show on April 22.

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.

Conflict of Interest? Heico Sportiv Tunes the eco-friendly 2010 Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe

How much sense does it make to offer a performance package for an eco-friendly diesel car model that has been specifically designed to deliver maximum fuel efficiency and low CO2 emissions? Not much if you ask us but anyways... This here is Heico Sportiv's tuning package for the recently unveiled 2010 Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe.

In factory form, the new Volvo C30 1.6D DRIVe is powered by a 1.6-liter diesel with 109HP and 240Nm of torque. Combined with a wide range of fuel saving technologies such as start/stop system with brake-energy recovery and aerodynamically optimized components, this C30 returns an average fuel economy of 3.9 liters/100 km or 60.3mpg US.

Heico Sportiv's package includes new software for the diesel unit's ECU that increases output to 125HP and 280Nm. As a result, the tuned C30 1.6D DRIVe sprints from standstill to 100 km/h in 9.2 seconds, beating the series-production model by 2.1 seconds while achieving a top speed of 200 km/h (124mph), 10 km/h more than the series version. The tuner did not release any fuel economy figures for the model.

Also available is a sport suspension that lowers the vehicle's ride height by about 30mm.

The Volvo tuning specialist gives the C30's exterior a new look with a front spoiler that replaces the original lower base section of the bumper and a rear apron with an integrated diffuser housing quad tailpipes. Five or ten-spoke alloy wheels in sizes 18- and 19-inch that are available in various colors complete the looks.

The interior can also be decked out with numerous applications in aluminum or leather, such as the door pin set, shift stick grip, parking brake handle, pedal set and foot rest.

2010 Volvo C30 Facelift gets S60 Concept-like Fascia and New Sport Chassis Option

Life at Volvo is about to get busier. Joining the updated C70 hardtop-convertible at this month's Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany is the gently facelifted C30 hatch. As with the C70, the front-end of the C30 has been restyled taking styling cues from the S60 Concept. This translates to larger (maybe a tad too large in our opinion) and 'swoopier' headlights, a more distinct grille treatment with a new honeycomb pattern unique to the C30 as well as redesigned wings and bonnet.

"The front of the Volvo C30 has become more dramatic and expressive," said Fedde Talsma, Exterior Chief Designer at Volvo Cars. "The angled lines of the front bumper together with the new headlamps, which are drawn offset and up, reinforce the impression of speed and sportiness.".

At the back the C30 gets a new rear bumper treatment with deeper lines and wavier contours while the black plastic panels have been replaced with more body colour lower down.

Other new exterior features for the 2010 model year include the introduction of a vibrant Orange Flame Metallic colour, visible exhaust tailpipes in the T5 and D5 models, two new alloy wheel options one of which is white and the choice of five different colors on the lower trim from the Contrast Color Collection models.

Furthermore, Volvo has developed a new styling kit for the 2010 C30 that includes foglamp decor, a front skidplate, side scuff plates and a rear skidplate, all finished in an aluminum look.

Inside, changes are limited to the introduction of a new trim option for the center console called "Oyster Burst Déco" which is said to be inspired by the surface texture of the classic Swedish Hagström.

Volvo is also introducing a new optional sport chassis for the C30 with stiffer springs, dampers and roll stabilizers as well as a lower steering ratio that gives 10 per cent faster response to steering wheel input The new sport chassis is available in all C30 versions except for 1.6D DRIVe.

There are no changes in the engine line-up with the C30 being offered (depending on the market) with the same gasoline and diesel drivelines with power ranging from the 100HP 1.6-liter petrol to the 230HP turbocharged 2.5-liter petrol unit.