Concept Cars Home
Image Left 2011 C30 EVImage Left 2011 C302013 C30 Image Right
 

Image credits: © Volvo.

2012 Volvo C30 Electric news, pictures, and information

Volvo C30 Electric - cool, comfortable motoring even in subzero climate

Born and raised in the cold Scandinavian winters, Volvo Car Corporation builds electric vehicles for all climates.

The C30 Electric features unique technology that promotes daily use in subzero temperatures without compromising driving properties or occupant comfort.

'Our basic view is that the owner of an electric vehicle shouldn't have to sacrifice any of the qualities he or she expects from a luxury car. Our aim is to create innovative solutions that make electric car ownership smooth and easy in all conditions,' says Lennart Stegland, Vice President Electric Propulsion Systems at Volvo Car Corporation.

Keeping the batteries in good condition and the passenger compartment comfortably warm in subzero climate requires a lot of energy.

Since the operating range becomes shorter if this energy is taken from the car's battery pack, Volvo Car Corporation decided to work out a more efficient and flexible solution.

In the C30 Electric, there is no need to waste power from the healthy, fully charged battery to keep the passenger compartment pleasantly warm.

Smart climate systemThe Volvo C30 Electric is equipped wîth a sophisticated climate system wîth technical solutions cooperating in order to tackle three different challenges:

• Supplying the passengers wîth heating or cooling.

• Warming or cooling the battery pack when necessary.

• Cooling the electric motor and the power electronics.

The climate system can be activated both during charging and driving.

Preconditioning - and unique monitoring

The Volvo C30 Electric can be preconditioned for the drive when it is being charged. The preconditioning timer is programmed via the car's menu settings. When activated, an immersion heater (6 kW) uses power from the wall socket for warming up the coolant in the climate system.

The heating is used for maintaining the battery in good working condition - and for pre-heating the passenger compartment.

Volvo Car Corporation has installed a unique monitoring system to safeguard the lifespan of the battery pack. During charging, the battery pack is heated automatically when the temperature reaches - 15° C in the core of the battery.

If the car is parked without charging possibilities, the automatic battery heating begins at -19° C in order to keep the battery in efficient working condition.

The passenger compartment can be preheated wîth a Fuel Operated Heater if the charge cable is not plugged in.

'Pre-conditioning in -10° Celsius extends the operating range wîth ten kilometres compared to a 'cold' start where battery capacity must be used for rapid heating,' says Lennart Stegland.

Fuel heater available

After preconditioning, the journey starts in a pleasant indoor climate. The driver can choose in the car's menu system how to heat the passenger compartment during the journey:

With the Auto Heating mode 'on' a Fuel Operated Heater (5 kW) - powered by bio ethanol (petrol system on markets where ethanol is unavailable) from a 12-litre tank - is activated automatically to provide heating during the drive. The filler cap is located where the fuel filler cap is located in a conventional Volvo C30.
If the driver chooses Auto Heater mode 'off', the electric immersion heater and an electric 1kW PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) heater co-operate to maintain a comfortable cabin climate.

During shorter trips on a moderately cold days electricity from the battery can be used to power the climate system. This maintains the C30 Electric's zero emission capacity, but the operating range will be somewhat shorter.

No compromises

'Únlike most electric car models on the market, the C30 Electric driver doesn't have to sacrifice a generous operating range to creating a comfortable climate even in extreme winter temperatures,' adds Lennart Stegland. 'The climate unit is programmed to suit the trip. The fuel heater is used when battery capacity is needed for maximum mobility.'

Rapid heating if necessary

Vital Stats

6-speed Manual, 5-speed Automatic
If the car has been parked without pre-conditioning possibilities, the three heating sources cooperate in order to rapidly de-ice the windows and warm up the passenger compartment.

With the electric heater, immersion heater and fuel heater activated at the same time, the desired temperature is reached in a few minutes.

The heating sources cooperate in order to achieve optimum balance between comfort and operating range. The two electrical units are switched off automatically when they are no longer needed - leaving the main responsibility for the long-term heating to the fuel heater.

Rough winter testing


Volvo Car Corporation's requirements on the C30 Electric are just as stringent as on all other Volvo models and the battery-powered car is exposed to the same test regime.

When it comes to cold climate, the car has been exposed to very rough conditions in order to ensure that the sophisticated technology works smoothly in temperatures as low as -30°C.

'Our uncompromising attitude includes that the C30 Electric must perform as intended when driving, parking and charging in a variety of conditions, from normal to very cold or hot. The Arctic part of Sweden is the perfect place to do sub-zero temperature testing,' says Lennart Stegland.

Source - Volvo

Volvo Car Corporation to start demonstration programme of electric cars in Shanghai

Volvo Cars China and Shanghai International Automobile City Group - a local government supervision authority - has decided to undertake a fleet demonstration programme wîth a test fleet of two Volvo C30 Electric cars in the community of Jiading outside Shanghai.

'We are very proud to bring the first Volvo C30 Electric cars to China and contribute to the electrification of the country', says Freeman Shen, chairman of Volvo Cars China.

The purpose is to gain better understanding of customer behaviour and expectations from operating electric cars.

In January 2011, Shanghai was selected as an international electric vehicle pilot city by the Chinese government and the Jiading district of Shanghai was announced as an electric vehicle demonstration zone. An infrastructure wîth over 13,000 charging stations and 15 battery swapping stations is being built, in order to support the real life use of electric vehicles.

Electrification of cars is a clear strategy for the Chinese Government in order to reduce the country's dependency on oil and longer term also to reduce CO2 emissions from transports.

'The Volvo C30 is the first electric car from an international brand that will be presented and involved in various activities here. Its performance fulfills the expectations of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Municipal and District governments to make the demonstration zone a truly international one', says Ni Yaomin, Deputy Governor of Jiading District, Shanghai. He continues:
'It will promote cooperation and communication between international and domestic auto makers on new energy vehicles.'


In June 2011, Volvo Car Corporation started the production of the Volvo C30 Electric as a part of the company's highly ambitious electrification strategy for the forthcoming years. The Volvo C30 Electric is manufactured in the Volvo Cars Ghent plant in Belgium and finalised in the Torslanda plant in Sweden.

The cars are leased to customers in selected European countries and they are also currently operating in demonstration programmes in Sweden and Belgium. In China, it is the intention to introduce additional Volvo C30 Electric cars into demonstration programmes, including the one in Jiading.

The Volvo C30 Electric has a 20 kWh battery that is recharged from a regular household power socket. A full recharge takes about 7 hours. The operating range is up to 150 kilometres per full charge. The top speed is 130 km/h and acceleration from 0-50 km/h takes four seconds.

Source - Volvo
For more information and related vehicles, click here

Land Rover Celebrates 65 Years Of Technology And Innovation
SIXTY-FIVE YEARS OF LAND ROVER From our earliest days, the desire to create a vehicle that will tackle any terrain has made Land Rover famous around the world. Over the past 65 years, the Land Rover family has grown into the highly respected range of vehicles that are sold in record numbers today. As Land Rover continues to go from strength to strength, we thought it was time to look back at the milestones in our history that have got us here. The last 65 years have been an adventure. ...[Read more...]
World'S Fastest Ev – Detroit Electric Sp:01 – Makes Global Public Debut At Shanghai Motor Show
• Limited-edition SP:01 is world's fastest pure-electric production sports car– 155 mph (249 km/h)top speed and 0-62 mph (0-100km/h) in 3.7 seconds
• SP:01boasts a carbon-fibre body, luxurious and high-tech interior, and range of over 180 miles
• Customer orders already confirmed
Detroit Electric's new high-performance electric sports car, the SP:01, received its global public reveal at the Shanghai Motor Show today (20 April 2013). A limited-edition, two-seat pure-ele...[Read more...]
Inovative DeltaWing to Make its Monterey Debut
American Le Mans Monterey Celebrates 15 Years of Le Mans-Inspired Road Racing DeltaWing Racing Cars, in its first full season in the American Le Mans Series, will make its inaugural appearance at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the American Le Mans Monterey race weekend May 9-11. The revolutionary open-top DeltaWing premiered in 2012 at two races – the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in October, where it finished in fifth place overall. This year, the Del...[Read more...]
BMW BREAKS THE 100MPG BARRIER
 BMW's award-winning and cleanest car currently on sale in the UK now has another accolade. A BMW 116d EfficientDynamics five-door Hatchback entered into the RAC Future Car Challenge 2012 achieved an outstanding103mpg over the 64-mile Brighton to London route, winning the Best Internal Combustion Engine class in the process. The route from Brighton to London included many miles of uphill section and busy London traffic, but event organisers measured the fuel used over the challenging route re...[Read more...]
Concours d'Elegance Announces 2013 Car Classes
Concours Car Selection Chair, Brian Joseph has announced the 2013 featured classes: • London to Brighton Pre-1905 • Auburn/Cord: The One Offs • Detroit Iron: American Classic Open 1928-1934 Cadillac, Chrysler, Lincoln & Packard • Indianapolis Iron: American Classic Open 1928-1934 Duesenberg, Marmon & Stutz • Motorcycles: Bobbers • Can-Am • Vintage Nascar • Drag Racing • Past, Present & Future: Electric Cars • Most Elegant Cars • Porsche 911 - On the Road - On the Track • Honori...[Read more...]

Arrow Right 2012 Volvo models
Volvo C30
Volvo C70
Volvo C70 Inscription
Volvo S40
Volvo S60
Volvo S60 TTA
Volvo S80
Volvo V40
Volvo V50
Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid
Volvo V70
Volvo XC60
Volvo XC70
Volvo XC90
2012 Volvo Concepts
Volvo Concept You
Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept

Similar Automakers
HondaJaguar
NissanSaab
SubaruToyota
Volkswagen
Similarly Sized Vehicles from 2012
Alfa Romeo Giulietta
BMW 1 Series
BMW 1-Series M
BMW 1-Series Sport Line
BMW 1-Series Urban Line
BMW 1M Coupe Project Vehicle
BMW 3 Series
BMW G1 V8 Hurricane RS
BMW M3
BMW X1

 
Volvo: 2011-2020
Similar Automakers
Volvo History
Other models by Volvo
Manufacturer Website

Volvo
Monthly Sales FiguresVolume
April 20134,464 
March 20135,365 
February 20134,867 
January 20134,875 
December 20126,150 
November 20126,141 
October 20124,200 
September 20124,977 
August 20126,323 
July 20125,717 
June 20127,107 
May 20126,246 
(More Details)

 
122
780
C30
C70
P 1800
P120
PV
PV4
S40
S60
S70
S80
Series 200
V40
V50
V60
V70
XC60
XC90

Image Left 2011 C30 EVImage Left 2011 C302013 C30 Image Right
© 1998-2012. All rights reserved. The material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.