Volvo to Deliver 10 C30 Electric Vehicles to Göteborg Energi; First Elements of Test Fleet
10 June 2010
Volvo Cars and energy company Göteborg Energi signed a letter of intent regarding cooperation in the area of electrical vehicles and recharge infrastructure. Under the agreement, Volvo will provide 10 Volvo C30 Electric cars (earlier post), with delivery starting during this autumn.
The cars in the test fleet are equipped with advanced measuring instruments to gather data about how parameters such as driving habits and charging patterns affect the battery and its lifetime in the electric car. Volvo is targeting a broader release of the vehicle in 2013.
The Volvo C30 BEV is powered by a 24 kWh lithium-ion battery pack 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. Recharging the C30 BEV pack via a household supply (230V, 16A) will take about eight hours.
The battery in the C30 BEV is designed and developed in the US by EnerDel, Inc., Ener1’s US battery subsidiary.
The car has a range of about 150 km (93 miles), a top speed of about 130 km/h (81 mph) and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 10.5 seconds. Volvo Cars’s electric car project currently encompasses about 250 vehicles.
However, with more customers we would of course be able to expand our production series. By 2020 about 5-10 percent of cars in Sweden are expected to be electric. By 2020-2025 we believe that electric cars will account for 3-10 percent of the market share in the EU countries. Different markets have different preconditions.
—Lennart Stegland, director of the Volvo Car Corporation’s Special Vehicles division
ANOTHER test fleet.
I think that by now it is well known how "driving habits and charging patterns affect the battery and its life time in the car".
Though each car might be slightly different
as will be these cars from their production models.
Is these akin to a wine tasting party?
Maybe you get a Free Volvo, just pay shipping and handling on a slow boat from China.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 10 June 2010 at 03:16 PM
10 cars = PR stunt. 110 cars, they might be serious. Get serious Volvo! You are another company with a customer base that is invariably "green." Meaning prime adopters of a Volvo EV.
Posted by: sulleny | 10 June 2010 at 04:40 PM
How underwhelming. Another three years of testing batteries...because nobody has ever done that before.
Whatever.
Posted by: DaveD | 10 June 2010 at 07:03 PM
After being burned by pushing other vehicles into service too fast, this is sensible (if frustrating).
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 10 June 2010 at 08:25 PM
I know Poet, I know. But I still keep getting this image of Madeline Kahn saying: "woses, how ordinarwy" LOL
Posted by: DaveD | 11 June 2010 at 05:35 AM
I guess 110 is Göteborg Energi's limit on schnitzengruben.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 11 June 2010 at 05:56 AM
If Volvo's BEVs and batteries can be adapted to perform in Sweden it could do well in Southern parts of Canada. If would prefer the PHEV version, at least for another 5+ years or until such time as batteries performance is 2x or 3x better than todays.
Posted by: HarveyD | 11 June 2010 at 08:21 AM
Volvo owners are huge environmentalists. And family safety people. Volvo could do very well to cater to their prime customers and offer a family 4 door EV. But the C30 looks pretty sexy for the young couple/single set and they could grab share from Volt and Leaf if they brought this out sooner than later.
Best indication is how brand loyal Volvo owners are. These people would rather walk than buy a different brand. Bodes well for Volvo EVs.
http://www.plugincars.com/volvo-c30-electric
Posted by: sulleny | 11 June 2010 at 12:46 PM
Volvo is showing very good judgment by not going into production.
But not because Volvo is clueless on how to make an EV.
They know how to hook a battery up to motor and how many wheels a car should have and even how to add a small ICE.
If there was even the smallest possibility that any car company could make a cost effective hybrid, BEV or any kind of EV in the last 12 years, Volvo would be one of the makers who might do it.
It’s not rocket science, just solid engineering IF batteries are affordable, IF. Lacking good batteries, it’s a PR battle for the fringe buyer, and MORE PR; ANOTHER TEST.
If they cannot capture the pioneer purchasers from Prius, (I doubt anyone can) then they should wait lest they get burned on a technology that is not ready, like happened with the EV1, Insight, RAV4-EV, and cars too numerous to mention; too numerous in variety but insignificant in sales volume.
A year or so ago, I really thought EVs were imminent, but alas, we need batteries with at least 3x the energy per dollar and 2x the energy density.
Meanwhile we are stuck with putting PV panels on our roofs – good, marginally cost effective, but boring.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 11 June 2010 at 08:43 PM
ZEBRA batteries proved that long range electric automobiles were feasble more than fifteen years ago and now all is needed is to provide large scale mass production to get the costs low enough or just a mandate to buy electric cars. Longer range electric cars are bad engineering. Small computer controlled range extenders are available for the ocassional extended trip. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | 11 June 2010 at 08:50 PM
Come ON Henry. How can you say ZEBRA batteries proved that long range electric automobiles were feasible more than fifteen years ago?
Where are they? Did you mis-type?
History has proved (15 times over; once each year) that long range electric automobiles are NOT feasible(not yet).
“ . . or just a mandate to buy electric cars. “
Nope – that’s not the way.
What next; mandate everyone buy Zebra batteries?
Posted by: ToppaTom | 11 June 2010 at 09:54 PM
We don't need long-range electric cars; that's the whole point of the Chevy Volt and Project Better Place. Short range will do for replacing 80-90% of all liquid fuel needs without battery swaps, and 100% with.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 12 June 2010 at 09:13 PM
Toppa applies the old paradigm to the present day vehicle buyer - it must have long range (3-400 mi.) But as EP points out the ER-EV Volt and like provide 40 mi AER which meets the needs of 85+ percent of daily commutes.
Extended range EVs like volt will provide the range anxiety bridge until batteries achieve a higher energy density. What we may discover is that once an EV owner feels comfortable with short range AER - provided an small extender is onboard - they may not want an expensive, long range battery.
Bottom line is if Volvo does not move a bit faster, they may get left in the electric dust.
Posted by: sulleny | 13 June 2010 at 09:30 PM
In Gothenburg the Volvo EV competes against the biomethane fuelled VW Passat Ecofuel which has 20 g/km CO2, range of 400 km on CBM (Compressed biomethane), same again on petrol......also 0 to 60 in 9.1 seconds.....there is quite a way to go for an EV to be as good as that. The Passat Ecofuel is selling very well in Sweden, hardly surprising as it is the best car in the world when fuelled on CBM/CNG.
Posted by: baldwincng | 15 June 2010 at 11:47 PM
Why do you say I apply " the old paradigm to the present day vehicle buyer - it must have long range (3-400 mi.)"?
I simply think battery prices are still too high.
I think it almost goes without saying that the "ideal" hybrid would have minimal batteries and the extended range EV would have minimal EOR and an ICE of minimal hp; just enough to maybe triple the range if turned on at the start of the trip.
Because batteries are still too expensive.
Would it be attractive to the public? I don't know.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 17 June 2010 at 09:55 PM