Volvo have announced that they will use the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to unveil an innovative new petrol plug-in hybrid called XC60.
The new Volvo XC60 aims to be three things - an electric car, an efficient hybrid, and a high performance car. This is achieved through allowing the driver to have control over how the available power from the high-performance petrol engine and electric motor is used.
The President and CEO of Volvo Corporation Stefan Jacoby says of the new car:
"The technology in the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept is as ingenious as it is unique. You can make really green progress on the road without compromising on any of the luxury car's renowned properties. No other manufacturer has succeeded in delivering fuel economy and electrical range on this level in a capable, spacious performance car with 350 horsepower on tap."
"This world-class petrol plug-in hybrid technology, featuring a state-of-the-art four-cylinder engine from our upcoming Volvo Environmental Architecture engine family, will reach our American showrooms in a couple of years. However, it is too early to say which model will be the first to feature this solution," Jacoby says.
The three-in-one system used in the XC60 is operated using three buttons mounted on the instrument panel. These buttons initiate three different modes - pure electric, hybrid, or power.
In Pure mode the vehicle is powered using the electric motor as much as possible. In this mode the range of the car is 28 miles.
In hybrid mode the electric motor and the petrol engine work together. This offers a compromise between performance and efficiency. When this mode is activated the total range goes up to 600 miles, but the car can still manage fuel economy of more than 100mpg, with low CO2 emissions of 53g/km.
When the power mode is activated the whole system is optimised for the best possible performance. The 280bhp petrol engine with 280lb-ft peak torque is assisted by the 70bhp electric motor, especially in the first phase of acceleration from standstill as this is when the electric motor is better able to deliver power. In this mode the XC60 can sprint up from 0-62mph in 5.8 seconds.
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