Test Driving Volvo’s C30 Electric Car Shows Real Promise

Volvo, the company with a self-professed mission of building the safest cars on the planet, has now shared additional information on two specific directions it may follow in bringing ‘green’ cars to the consumer market– plug in hybrids and, potentially, battery electric cars. The company’s developmental V70 plug-in diesel-electric hybrid has received most of the recent headlines, no doubt because of Volvo’s well-publicized plans for a 2012 European introduction with energy partner Vattenfall. Now, Volvo has divulged additional details about its pure electric C30, an attractive and sporty platform and makes for a plenty fun electric vehicle.

A pair of C30 electric test vehicles has been created for study, with this model tapped chiefly because it features significant interior room for battery placement prototyping and also because it’s the lightest of the Volvo vehicles. These battery electric vehicles are powered by two EnerDel lithium-ion batteries, one located under the hood and the other in the trunk housed in a steel cage structure.

"The Volvo C30 is the first model we will try out with electric power,” says Lennart Stegland, director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles. “This car's excellent properties in city traffic and its relatively low weight make it particularly suitable, since electric cars are primarily expected to be used in and around cities and for daily commuting."

In terms of performance, the C30 electric runs 0 to 60 mph in under 11 seconds and features a limited top speed of just over 80 mph. Most importantly the vehicle has a usable range of 93 miles between charges, which Volvo feels is suitable for most drivers’ daily needs. The 24 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery can be charged in about eight hours via a 220-volt household outlet.

Volvo’s C30 is already a spirited vehicle in gasoline-powered trim, and its beautifully sculpted lines make it an attractive vehicle to drive. It’s light on its feet with decent handling and power. With the new electrified variant, interior controls appear little changed from the fossil-fuel version save for specialized gauges for monitoring battery condition and power use. Overall start-up is simple – just pull it down into drive and depress the throttle.

Green Car’s time behind the wheel of a C30 electric at a Volvo test track in Gothenburg, Sweden, proved the viability of this battery electric model. With driving course speed limited to only 70 km/h (about 44 mph), there was no opportunity to achieve the highway speeds we would have liked for testing this electric C30. Regardless, the road did allow for some spirited corner bending.

Powered by a 134 horsepower (100 kW) electric motor, this electric car offered quite capable acceleration from start up with a satisfying level of performance maintained throughout the course. At no point did we want for additional power, and handling was unchanged from the gasoline-powered version. In addition, there was virtually no electric motor whine as is commonly the case. In a nutshell, the change to electric power was at the very least a non-event – a positive swap that will be welcomed by most drivers looking for a vehicle that delivers no operational downside, as well as no emissions.

As you would expect from Volvo, both the C30 electric and the V70 plug-in hybrid have received great care to ensure they are safe and more than capable of passing Volvo’s high crash standards. By integrating the batteries deep in the chassis and away from crash zones, the potential for battery damage in a crash is decreased. At the same time this battery placement lowers the car’s center of gravity/roll centers and improves handling. Smart folks, those Volvo engineers.

Volvo’s electric C30s will be evaluated over the next few months to determine their overall feasibility. Having witnessed the performance, handling, and extensive efforts made to create vehicles offering safe and zero emissions drivability, Volvo could be carving out a new technological niche that charts its direction for the next decade.