Melbourne: Volvo Car Australia unveils its V60 Plug-in Hybrid - a virtually production-ready car with carbon dioxide emissions below 50g/km and boasting an average fuel consumption of just 1.9L/100km.

In 2012, Volvo Cars will be the first manufacturer on the market with this new breed of hybrid, which is the result of close cooperation with the Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall.

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid features the very best properties from three different car types in one, single sports wagon. This includes the option to drive for up to 50 kilometres on pure electricity.

D5 engine and Electric Rear Axle Drive

The front wheels of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will be driven by a five-cylinder 2.4-litre D5 turbodiesel, which produces 160 kW and maximum torque of 440Nm.

The rear axle features Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) in the form of an electric motor producing 52kW, which receives its power from a 12kW lithium-ion battery pack. The car features a six-speed automatic transmission.

Together, the engine and electric motor produce up to 200kW of power and a massive 640Nm of torque.

"In order to get true car enthusiasts to think green, you have to offer them the opportunity to drive with low carbon dioxide emissions without taking away the adrenaline rush that promotes genuine driving pleasure. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid has all the traditional properties of a genuine sports wagon. What we've done is to spice it up with spearhead technology," says Stefan Jacoby.

Half the CO2 emissions, full driving pleasure

Development work has been jointly financed. Now the project is on the threshold of introducing the market's first diesel plug-in hybrid. It's an attractive concept that gives the owner access to the very best properties of both an electric car and a dieselpowered vehicle: very low fuel consumption and CO2 levels, combined with long range and high performance.

"One important aspect of the project was to retain the Volvo V60's excellent driving pleasure, high safety standard and luxurious comfort. At the same time, average CO2 emissions and fuel consumption will be halved compared with what is available on the market today," says Stefan Jacoby, and adds: "We're taking a giant step forward towards our "DRIVe Towards Zero" vision, that is to say the hunt for zero emissions. In fact, when the V60 Plug-in Hybrid is run solely on electricity and recharged using renewable energy, we've already reached that goal."

Cheaper fuel costs

When powered solely by electricity, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid has a range of up to 50 km. The car's total operating range in conjunction with the diesel engine is up to 1200 km. Carbon dioxide emissions will be an average of 49 g/km (EU Combined) and fuel consumption will be 1.9 l/100 km.

The cost of the battery pack means the plug-in hybrid will be more expensive to buy than a Volvo V60 with a conventional combustion engine. On the other hand, fuel costs will be one-third compared with a conventional combustion engine.

The plug-in hybrid can be charged via a regular household electricity socket at home or when parked somewhere else. Charging time is about five hours if the car is recharged at home.

Electric power offers a range of benefits

Electrification of the transport sector is an important step in the fight against climate change. Electricity is a highly beneficial fuel:

• An electric motor is almost four times as efficient as a regular combustion engine. This means that an electrically powered car consumes less energy and thus produces lower emissions, even if it is powered by a blend of electricity sources that include fossil fuels.
• European electricity production has an emission ceiling. This means that even if all vehicles were to run on electricity, electricity production itself is not allowed to produce more carbon dioxide. This emission ceiling will be gradually lowered over a period of time.
• Electricity is an excellent source of energy. It does not risk running out, and it can be produced virtually without any CO2 emissions. For instance, Vattenfall is working towards halving the company's emissions by 2030 and becoming climate-neutral by 2050.
• Emissions from millions of exhaust tailpipes are transferred to a small number of production facilities, which are easier to control and which will operate on the basis of the EU's trade in emission rights, something that does not apply to the transport sector at present.
• Electric vehicles use relatively little electricity and the increase in consumption will be more than covered by ambitious expansion plans for renewable energy sources throughout Europe. A single wind-power station, for instance, produces sufficient renewable energy to power 3,000 electric cars. Vattenfall will offer buyers of the plug-in hybrid a contract including electricity from renewable sources.

Rapid expansion of renewable electricity production

Electricity production is undergoing rapid expansion. Wind-power is being commercially introduced on a large scale and is continuing to expand, biofuels will replace fossil fuels on a broad front, wave-power is expected to enter commercial operation within ten years, and new technology to clean CO2 emissions from coalfired power stations is currently under development.

At Volvo Cars, work progresses on the V60 Plug-in Hybrid in parallel with development of the Volvo C30 Electric, which runs entirely on electricity.

"These two car types complement one another. With a plug-in hybrid the driver is entirely independent of recharging stations when driving long distances. The future electric-car market will feature a mixture of both all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids," says Stefan Jacoby.

The Technology

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid integrates the best properties from three different cars into one sportwagon. The driver chooses the preferred driving mode via three buttons on the instrument panel: Pure, Hybrid and Power.

• PURE: An electric car with a range of up to 50 km.
• HYBRID: A high-efficiency hybrid with an average fuel consumption of just 1.9 l/100km and CO2 emissions averaging just 49 g/km.
• POWER: A spirited drive with a combined output from the diesel engine and electric motor of 150 + 50 kW, 440 + 200 Nm of torque and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h of just 6.9 seconds.

The front wheels of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will be driven by a five-cylinder 2.4-litre D5 turbodiesel, which produces 150kW and maximum torque of 440 Nm.

The rear axle features Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) in the form of an electric motor producing 50 kW, which receives its power from a 12 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The car features a six-speed automatic transmission and interaction between diesel and electric power is handled via a control system.

Pure/Hybrid and Power - three modes, one car

In Pure the car runs only on its electric motor as much as possible. If the battery has been recharged using electricity from a renewable source, the driving range is up to 50 km with zero emissions of carbon dioxide. Battery range varies with terrain, climate and driving style.

Hybrid is the default mode whenever the car is started. The diesel engine and electric motor interact to provide the optimal balance between driving pleasure and low environmental impact. Emissions of CO2 (EU Combined) are 49 g/km, corresponding to diesel fuel consumption of 1.9 l/100 km. The car's total range is up to1200 km.

In Power the technology is optimised to give the car the best possible performance. The diesel engine and electric motor have a combined power output 150 + 50 kW and maximum torque of 440 + 200 Nm. The electric motor's lightning-quick torque delivery contributes to the car's 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time of 6.9 seconds.

The majority of all European car drivers cover less than 50 km a day, for instance to and from work. On longer trips, the diesel engine is activated automatically, giving the car the same properties and range as a conventional hybrid.

Several additional possibilities and benefits

In addition to its three driving modes, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid features a number of other possibilities and benefits:

• The driver can choose to save battery capacity in order to be sure of driving on clean electricity later, for instance after entering the city. In order to maintain a sufficient battery charge level, the car is powered by its diesel engine.
• Pushing the AWD button in the centre stack activates electric four-wheel drive. Instead of the mechanical power transmission of the conventional AWD system, the central control unit manages torque distribution to the dieseldriven front wheels and the electrically powered rear axle.
• Via the car setup menu, the driver can key in the planned route's distance (short, medium or long). The control system calculates the balance between diesel and electric power to obtain the lowest possible CO2 emissions for the given distance.

Recharging at home

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is recharged via a regular power socket (230V/6A, 10A or 16A) at home or in a parking lot. The charging time depends on the level of the current.

A full 10A charge takes 4.5 hours. The time is shortened to 3 hours with 16A, while a charge in a 6A socket takes 7.5 hours.

To get a comfortable start of the journey, the car driver has the possibility to preheat or cool the passenger compartment during the recharging process. This also means that more battery capacity can be used for powering the car. The pre conditioning is programmed via a timer integrated into the car's setup menu or remotely via a mobile phone.

Special white paintwork

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid features a special white paint supplied by Dupont and the interior also has several unique details and colours compared with a standard V60, such as leather upholstery from Elmo.

On the outside the car has several additional features that emphasise its CO2-lean profile, such as lightweight wheels with exceptionally low air drag and Pirelli tyres designed for low rolling resistance.

The instrument panel in the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid has been modified to give the driver a full range of important information about diesel and electricity consumption, battery charge level, remaining range and so on.

It will also be possible to communicate with the car via a mobile application. This gives the owner access to a number of smart features, such as a reminder to plug in the charging cable if this hasn't been done at a certain, pre-set time.

New, groundbreaking green-tech "Volvo Cars has introduced groundbreaking green-tech before. For instance, we invented the catalytic converter with Lambda probe, a system that is now fitted to all cars. With our latest development we are once again demonstrating our leadership in the environmental field by being first to market hybrid technology in an entirely new dimension," says Stefan Jacoby.

"Having Vattenfall in the electricity generating industry as a partner gives us an added strength. It allows us to be on the inside and shape developments in this area, for instance when it comes to clean electricity and infrastructure. We will also offer our customers a climate-neutral electricity supply contract when our plug-in hybrid enters series production."

Uncompromised Safety

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid includes a systematic approach to all safety aspects related to battery power.

The basic perspective is that the battery-powered Volvo must be as safe as any other new Volvo car - when it comes to owning and driving and also in the event of an accident.

"We apply the same high safety standards to all our products but the safety-related challenges may differ depending on the driveline and fuel being used. To us, electrification technology is another exciting challenge in our quest to build the safest cars on the market," says Jan Ivarsson, Senior Manager Safety Strategy & Requirements at Volvo Cars.

"It is understandable that a lot of questions about electrification safety are related to what will happen in an accident but it is important to have a holistic approach including all the aspects of day-to-day usage of the car."

Monitoring and encapsulation

Volvo Cars is currently conducting wide-ranging and thorough analysis of a variety of safety scenarios for cars with electric power. Through advanced automatic monitoring of battery status and by encapsulating the battery and protecting it effectively in a collision, the result is a world-class safety level.

"A holistic human centre approach and real-life traffic conditions are always the starting-point for our safety work. Based on our massive database with input from actual road incidents and accidents, we know where the focus must lie in everyday traffic conditions. The solutions we have developed for the V60 Plug-in Hybrid take into account the situations that are unique to this type of car," says Jan Ivarsson.

Everything from the way the car is produced, used and serviced to the way they are recycled is analysed thoroughly and the information obtained is used to shape the development of the production car, which will be introduced in 2012.

Comprehensive testing under way - and there's more on the way

Volvo's safety tests take place in several different stages: at component level, for whole systems and the complete car is safety-tested virtually in the computer, and physically in Volvo Cars' technically advanced crash-test centre.

"We have carried out full-scale crash tests with different load cases, such as frontal collision, rear and side collisions to confirm that the battery technology fulfils our safety requirements," reveals Jan Ivarsson He adds: "The lithium-ion batteries are separated from the crumple zones and the occupants' compartment."

Know-how from actual traffic

Volvo Cars is using its unique know-how from actual traffic conditions to carry out detailed testing and verification. This test procedure also includes the general requirements and protocols of the industry's safety institutes.

When Volvo Cars analyses traffic situations from a safety perspective, the engineers use a model that illustrates the sequence of events during the whole driving phase. The process is divided into five phases: from the normal driving situation to after the accident has occurred. Based on these five phases, Volvo develops new safety solutions and improves existing ones.

Unique solutions for electric cars

All safety systems in the Volvo V60 will also be available in the plug-in hybrid version. However, electric power also adds new possible safety scenarios to the overall picture and these too must be dealt with. Volvo's safety experts have meticulously analysed the five accident sequence phases and developed unique solutions for the battery and for protection of the occupants as necessary.

1. Normal driving: A comprehensive and advanced monitoring system keeps watch and ensures that each cell maintains the correct voltage level and optimal operating temperature by regulating the cooling system. This is of significance to both safety and battery capacity. In the event of any deviation, the battery is automatically shut down as a preventive measure.

2. Conflict: The battery adds weight that can create new conditions for the vehicle's dynamics and alter the car's behaviour, for instance in fast avoidance manoeuvres. The Volvo V60 braking system can handle the increased mass, and DSTC (Dynamic Stability and Traction Control) helps the driver contain the situation.

3. Avoidance: If a frontal collision is imminent and the driver is acting too late to brake the car, the V60 Plug-in Hybrid can activate automatic systems such as Collision Warning with Full Auto Brake and City Safety to help avoid or reduce the effects of an collision.

4. Collision: In order to reduce the effects of a collision, the battery package is well protected and separated from the car's crumple zones and the occupants' compartment. The battery is also sturdily encapsulated. Steel beams and other parts of the structure around the battery are reinforced to help protect it from being affected in a collision.

If the battery is damaged, resulting in gas leakage, there are special evacuation ducts that lead the gas out under the car. In the event of extreme heat, the occupants are shielded by the battery's encapsulation. At the very moment of collision, crash sensors linked to the battery send information about the collision to the car's computer, which automatically shuts off the power supply to reduce the risk of a short-circuit.

5. After the collision: The battery has a security cut-out that functions like a household earth fault circuit breaker. It shuts down and isolates the battery if the current travels in the wrong direction, for instance if two cables are pressed together as a result of an accident. Volvo also works together with the emergency rescue services, providing them with detailed instructions on how best to handle various Volvo models in the event of an accident.

Safety when servicing and recycling

The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid is equipped with a service cut-out to quickly and safely disconnect the vehicle's power supply.

Volvo Cars and the battery manufacturers have far-reaching product responsibility as regards both production and recycling. This ensures proper handling of the battery when it comes to the end of its life in the car.

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