23/11/09

The Volvo Path Toward Zero Emission

Matching the H2Roma 2009 issues

Here following a series of quotes matching the H2Roma 2009 issues.

R&D chief Magnus Jonsson refers: "We do not feel that there is any single route to sustainable mobility. For one thing, local conditions vary considerably as regards to biofuels and the necessary infrastructure and we are seeing a steady stream of exciting new technological advances in fields such as electrification, which change these conditions.

"Electrification is an important part of the paradigm shift to significantly reduce CO2 emissions" -Director of electrification strategy, Paul Gustavsson, said, adding-"Volvo will launch a plug-in hybrid in 2012 and pure electric power from the battery would cover the daily transport needs of 75% of European drivers. For longer distances, a diesel engine would automatically take over when battery energy levels run low. Total combined range will be around 745 miles and carbon dioxide emissions under 50g/km, with fuel consumption of up to 148.6 mpg"

The electric motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery and additional electricity is generated by regenerative braking. The battery can be recharged at home via a regular wall socket and will take around five hours to fully charge. The car will run up to 31 miles on electric power alone.

Stephen Odell, President and CEO of Volvo Cars added: "We are focusing strongly on plug-in hybrids in order to meet the demands for low CO2 emissions and to provide sustainable road transportation. We naturally expect that the relevant authorities will offer subsidies to boost developments, speeding up the creation of a market for this type of car."

The Volvo switch to increased use of renewable fuels includes car models that are tailored to run on multiple fuels. Volvo has models that are powered by petrol, diesel, ethanol and natural gas/biogas.

Within the next few years, second-generation biofuels such as synthetic diesel will also be able to be used in Volvo's cars.