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Volvo Cars announces improved fuel consumption/GHG numbers for XC90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV

Volvo Cars reports that its XC90 T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid is now rated with fuel consumption of 2.1 l/100 km (112 mpg US) and 49 g CO2/km, with 43 km (27 miles) all-electric range on the NEDC cycle for hybrids. In December 2014, the figures were 2.5 l/100 km and 59 g/km. (Earlier post.)

Further tuning of the 7-seat luxury SUV resulted in the drop of 10 g/km from the initial prognosis, bringing fuel consumption down to 2.1 l/100 km while also adding horsepower: now 407 hp (304 kW), up from 400 hp (298 kW). Torque remains the same at 640 N·m (472 lb-ft).

We have been working hard to earn our competitive edge and to give our customers the ultimate combination of performance and low fuel consumption. Our Twin Engine technology has enabled us to build on our heritage of efficient powertrain development in a completely new way. Thanks to our new scalable product architecture, and our world class four-cylinder engines, we have a clear and leading position.

—Dr.Peter Mertens, Senior Vice President Research & Development at Volvo Car Group

The XC90 T8 Twin Engine can go from 0 to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds. The car has five different driving modes that deliver a range of performance and efficiency-enhancing characteristics. Using either a scroll wheel on the centre console or a touchscreen on the dashboard, drivers can choose from:

  • Hybrid: This is the default mode, suitable for everyday use. Here, the vehicle will automatically alternate between drawing power from the 2-liter, 4-cylinder Drive-E engine and the electric motor to deliver the best overall fuel consumption.

  • Pure electric: In this mode, when the high-voltage battery is fully charged, it serves as the car’s sole energy source, powering the electric motor over the rear axle. Due to the regenerative braking system, this mode is super-efficient in the stop-and-go traffic of city environments. If more power is needed, the Drive-E combustion engine starts up automatically.

  • Power mode: Here, drivers get the combined performance of the combustion engine and the electric motor. On start-up, the SUV takes advantage of the electric motor’s superior response and instant torque curve, while the combustion engine gets up to speed. This combination offers better torque at lower revs, equivalent to that of a large displacement engine such as a V8.

  • AWD: This mode offers constant all-wheel drive on demand. The advantage of being able to select AWD manually is that the driver can use it when needed, or choose to save energy for later.

  • Save: If the battery is charged, this mode allows the driver to “freeze” the battery level and save it for later use with Pure Electric drive. On the other hand, if the battery is low, the driver can use the combustion engine to charge the battery to a certain level for later use with Pure Electric drive./p>

The US MSRP of Volvo Cars’ new XC90 T8 Twin Engine Plug-In Hybrid entry-level Momentum model is $68,100, not including any tax credit incentives or $995 destination charge. The seven-passenger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is coming to the United States this summer.

Comments

mahonj

It is all very good, but the CO2 levels are a bit of a cod as they do not include the CO2 used to generate the electricity (which would vary by country, and in some cases time of day).

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