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Volvo first went about tackling emissions by showing off their "carbon-free" trucks. Now, they say that their goal is to make all of their plants "carbon-free" too. For whatever reason, when they introduced the trucks and now with the factories, they call them carbon-free in most promotional materials (image above excepted) as opposed to the more commonly accepted carbon-neutral. Whatever. The first plant which does not spew carbon (in the overall balance) is in Ghent, Belgium. According to Volvo CEO Leif Johansson,"It is not an easy undertaking, but we are prepared to try different alternatives to achieve our goal for CO2-free production in our plants."
In order to make their non-carbon plans a reality, the company is building three wind-power plants on-site, which will provide half the power for the plant. For the rest of their electricity, Volvo will turn to the Belgium energy company, Electrabel, which will provide certified green energy. Two plants in Sweden are also scheduled to be carbon-absent.
Coming in early 2008 will be the new Volvo V70 specially adapted for the Swedish police. The police asked Volvo to make the first editions with D5 diesel engines, but a flexfuel (ethanol-friendly) version will be offered to the polis later. The main difference is that the diesel offers 185 horsepower while the E85 version kicks it with 200.
Other changes for the officers driving the new V70s include enhanced chassis, brakes and wheels and an "ergonomic working environment" inside. Official announcement after the jump.
The burgeoning interest in dual clutch gearboxes should be big business for Getrag over the next few years. Because a dual clutch transmission (DCT) combines the greater efficiency of a manual with full automatic shift capability they are being installed in more vehicles all the time. The first widespread use of DCTs was on Volkswagen and Audi models in the last few years with their Borg-Warner-built DSG units.
For 2008, Volvo is adding a DCT to the S40 and V50 while Ford is also adding one to the Focus equipped with a new 2.0L turbodiesel. Chrysler is also installing a DCT in European-spec models of the new Dodge Journey CUV. By 2010 Getrag expects to sell 500,000 DCTs a year growing to 2 million by 2014. That doesn't include the 700,000 units that will come from the Chrysler-Getrag joint venture starting in 2009.
These Frankfurt Motor Show vehicles no longer need an introduction. We've been covering them to the hilt and, if you missed what any of them are, you can see last night's wrap-up for more information. What this post is meant to do is provide you with some shiny, high-resolution images to see the concepts for yourself. Consider it our version of a free ticket to the show. We'll keep posting on more details from the IAA today; for now, enjoy the images. My favorite is the mule in the shot of the Volvo ReCharge.
What happens when you turn German tuners at Heico Sportiv loose on a Volvo S80? Apparently you get an E85-ready High Performance version tricked out aluminum-and-leather beast. The car will greet public this fall at the SEMA show in Las Vegas.
The S80 High Performance Concept got plenty of exterior and interior upgrades, but first let's talk about the 350 hp bioethanol engine under the hood. It's a turbocharged T6 engine that gets 350 ponies at 5500 rpm and generates 550 Nm of torque between 1500 and 4000 rpm. With those numbers, it'll go from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.8 seconds, for now. I'm guessing this performance comes when using E85, not lower octane gasoline, but Volvo doesn't specify. Heico Sportiv president Holger Hedtke says that a higher horserpower number is likely by the time SEMA rolls around.
On the outside, this Volvo S80 got seven coats of paint to make it look like "real metal" (no green points for this). Other features include integrated spoiler flaps, three larger air ducts, integrated LED daytime running lights and an integrated Volvo-branded sport grille. Open the doors to find a new "Mystic Blue" leather interior. Read all about this in the press release after the jump.
Click the image of the Volve ReCharge chassis for a high-res gallery
After the news of the Volvo ReCharge plug-in series hybrid came out a couple of days ago we got in touch with Volvo for some more information. The ReCharge that's being displayed in Frankfurt is a mock-up. However, there is a running prototype being built and the mock-up was used to work out packaging of all the components.
The ultimate plan is to use the wheel motors for all the braking. The initial test units though have mounting provisions made for hydraulic brakes. These will be used during initial testing as a safety backup. One limiting factor of using only regenerative braking is the ability of the battery to absorb the kinetic energy fast enough. Most current lithium batteries (except the nano- material batteries like those from Altairnano and A123) can't take a charge that fast which limits the ability to use regen.
The lithium polymer battery in the ReCharge only has a 12kWh capacity but a claimed 62 mile range. Based on that it must be able to absorb energy pretty quickly and use a lot of regen to get that range. Volvo plans on field testing the ReCharge as soon as possible to gain experience with the system.
While Toyota is clearly not enamored with the concept of series hybrids (at least publicly) plenty of other companies are jumping on the idea. The latest to join the party is Volvo with a new concept that they will unveil next week in Frankfurt. The ReCharge is a plug-in series hybrid based on the compact C30 hatchback. The all-wheel drive propulsion will be provided courtesy of wheel motors at all four corners.
Juice for the motors will come from a lithium polymer battery pack mounted in the trunk with sufficient capacity for 62 miles of electric driving. Once the battery state of charge dips to thirty percent, a 1.6L four cylinder flex-fuel engine bolted to a generator starts up to re-charge the battery. The ReCharge can also be plugged in to replenish the battery energy. The wheel motors and generator were developed with PML Flightlink of England (creators of the 640hp electric Mini).
The engine-generator has enough power to provide juice to a house in the event of power-failure. Thanks to the range of battery and the fact that the engine can operate at its most efficient speed, the ReCharge can do a 93 mile drive on 2.8L of gas for 124mpg (US). A full charge (presumably on a 220V circuit as used in Europe) comes in three hours while one hour at the plug will provide enough power for a thirty mile jaunt. There's a video after the jump in addition to the press release.
Automakers are making all sorts of modifications to existing models to beat the 120 g/km of CO2 limit for free entry into London when the Congestion Charge rules change (e.g., Audi A3, 16 models from Peugeot, and 23 from Citroën). For trucks and other large vehicles, the key date is February 2008, when new rules for the London Low Emission Zone (LEZ) kick in. In preparation, Volvo Trucks is broadcasting loud and clear that some of their trucks will be exempt from the incredibly pricey £200 entry fee.
The LEZ rules will be introduced in phases, and Volvo's PR materials say that, "The good news is that all Volvo engines supplied to the UK market since 1993, including all the 12-litre Euro 1 and Euro 2 D12A to D12C power units fitted to the first FH and FM trucks, all the D16's fitted to the first generation FH16's and also the D6A fitted to the FL6, meet or exceed the Euro 3 emission levels required for entering the capital." Trucks will still need to be inspected annually to prove they are indeed still "low emission" vehicles.
Why put a fuel cell into a car's powertrain when you can instead put it into a little device to see if the driver is drunk? That's what Volvo has done with their new Alcoguard technology. The fuel cell breathalyzer will go on sale early next year for the Volvo S80, V70 and XC70 models, coming to smaller cars later in the summer. Why use a fuel cell to power the Alcoguard? Volvo's PR materials (available after the jump), say that fuel cell technology "is both user-friendly and reliable."
Volvo says that many law enforcement units in Europe use fuel cell breathalyzers (news to me) and the Alcoguard needs to register a blood-alcohol limit of less than 0.2 g/l (in Sweden) before it sends an "OK to start" radio signal to the car. If it measures a blood-alcohol content between 0.1 g/l and 0.2 g/l, a yellow light turns on, which means that " the car will start, but the driver should not drive." The unit can be calibrated in other countries to match legal blood-alcohol content laws there.
David Nilsson, Technical Project Manager for Alcoguard at Volvo Cars, says that fuel cell technology is prime for breathalyzers. "Fuel-cell technology is more expensive but it also produces far better results. Unlike semi-conductors, for instance, fuel-cells only react to ethanol and nothing else. In the fuel-cell, the ethanol molecules pass through a sensitive membrane and an electrical current is generated. This current is then measured. Higher current means more alcohol in the driver's breath," he said in a release. Whaddya know, ethanol and fuel cells in an AutoblogGreen post, but neither is mentioned in the way you'd think.
The two people you see in the image gallery below are Ingrid Skogsmo, director of Volvo Cars Safety Centre, and David Nilsson, Technical project manager of the Alcoguard.
In Sweden this past week, Volvo representatives proudly displayed the company's lineup of carbon-neutral trucks. The words Volvo uses to describe the line-up are "carbon free," but emissions still come out the tailpipe. The biomass components of the fuels make the net result carbon neutral, Volvo materials admit beneath the "carbon free" headline.
Volvo exhibited trucks with 9-litre engines running on seven types of alternative fuels. You can read details after the jump, but the types are as follows: biodiesel, biogas, biogas + biodiesel, dimethyl ether (DME), ethanol/methanol, synthetic diesel, and hydrogen gas + biogas.
A member of Volvo Group Management and senior vice president, public and environmental affairs, Jan-Eric Sundgren, explained in a release why the company is so interested in alternative fuel diversity: "We know that in the foreseeable future there will be insufficient biomass or renewable fuels to fully replace fossil fuels. That is why it is important that decisions on the production of future fuels are preceded by such comprehensive assessments – otherwise there is the risk that we focus on too many and quite simply unsuitable alternatives, which will delay the introduction of carbon dioxide-free transport."
Volvo has announced that both the V70 station wagon and the S80 large sedan will include new 4-cylinder powertrains to offer cleaner options in the range. The two powertrains are already installed in other Volvo models, such as the S40 and V50. One is gasoline, the other is a diesel.
Let's start with the gasoline engine: A 2.0 liter aluminium engine which is capable of generating 145 HP and 185 Nm (136 ft-lb) of torque. Fuel consumption is 8.3 l/100 km for the V70 and 8.1 l/100 km for the S80 (28 and 29 mpg respectively).
The diesel engine is a 2.0 liter good for 136 HP. It's a well-known unit, co-developed by Ford and PSA (you can find it in the Peugeots 307 and 407, and the Citroën C4 and C5) that includes an anti-particulate filter. Torque is very good - 320 Nm (236 ft-lb) - and consumption remains moderate, 6.0 l/100 km in the V70 and 5.9 7/100 km in the S80 (about 39 mpg).
The figures are yet to be fully homologated and no CO2 information was provided either.
Volvo has announced that a new feature on gearboxes called Powershift is able to reduce fuel consumption about 8 percent. As Volvo explains: "Powershift consists of two manual gearboxes that work in parallel and are controlled by separate clutches. Since there is no disruption in torque delivery during the gearchanging process, gearshifts are instantaneous and the efficiency rating is higher". That is, Powershift is a double-clutch system à la DSG.
Volvo has also announced the most efficient model in the Volvo line-up is the C30 fitted to a 1.6 Diesel engine (which was co-developed with Peugeot-Citroën), this means that fuel consumption is reduced from 4.9 l /100 km (48 mpg) to 4.5 l /100km (52 mpg). Emissions are also improved, which means that the model reduces the already-low 129 g CO2/km to 120 g/km. The model, named Efficiency, is then eligible for a tax break in Sweden of about 10,000 Kronor (about 1,500 USD). This model used several improvements to achieve these results: aerodynamic improvements, low-rolling resistance tyres, higher gearing and other features like low-friction transmission oil, improved servo-assistance and tweaks in engine management.
Volvo announced that these features and the Powershift feature will be expanded to the rest of their models until 2008.
Sweden is, by percentage, one of the countries that uses more ethanol on their vehicles. That's why the Swedish marques have a broad range of models using flex-fuel powertrains.
Today, Volvo has announced that during the first half of 2008, a five-cylinder 2.5-litre turbocharged flex-fuel engine with a power output of 200 hp will be introduced in the Volvo V70 and S80. Both models will also be available with a 2-litre flex-fuel engine.
Therefore, Volvo's range of flex-fuel vehicles completes up to 5 models, C30, S40, V50, V70 and S80 (no sexy C70?) and the range of motors will include 3 offerings: the new 2.5 I-5, the 2.0 I-4 good for 145 hp and 185 Nm (137 lb/ft) of torque, and a 1.8 (which is also used in Ford) with 125 hp and 165 Nm (122 lb/ft) of torque.
Fuel consumption (EU combined) when running on E85 is 10.3 l/100 km or 23 MPG (C30 1.8F), 10.4 l/100 km or 23 MPG (S40 1.8F and V50 1.8F), 11.6 l/100 km, or 20 MPG (V70 2.0F) and 11.3 l/100 km or 23 MPG (S80 2.0F).
Volvo is adding a four cylinder engine to the C70 coupe lineup this fall. The 2.0L turbo-diesel puts out 136hp and 236lb-ft of torque and gets 38.6mpg on the EU combined cycle. The engine has a particulate filter as standard equipment to meet the Euro IV emissions requirements. While the C70 gets good fuel economy in Europe, we probably won't get it in the US. The diesel is expected to account for about ten percent of C70 sales globally and twenty percent in Europe. The C70 diesel goes on sale this fall.
Volvo will be entering a car in the Swedish Touring Car Championship at Anderstorp later this month (July 28 and 29): an E85-powered S60 Flexifuel racer. Late last year, Volvo Cars Sweden worked out a deal with the STCC to use alternative fuels in the championship in order to promote green values. Nonetheless, Volvo has two wins in the 2007 season using the biofuel.
Alexander Murdzevski Schedvin, Motorsport Manager Volvo Cars Sweden said in a statement that, "We took on the challenge to go with ethanol for the 2007 season immediately and it is safe to say that a few eyebrows were raised since all expertise said you would loose performance if you switched petrol for ethanol in the FIA Super 2000 regulations. I am very happy we could prove otherwise and we hope this is just the start as was the case when Volvo."
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