Behind the Wheel of Volvo’s Bi-Fuel CNG/Gasoline 850
By Ron Cogan
During the 1990s, Volvo was deep in its gaseous fuel development program and readying products for introduction to the European market. The automaker brought 20 bi-fuel 850 sedans and wagons to the U.S. as part of an early development fleet. These vehicles were designed to run seamlessly on either natural gas or gasoline, which effectively overcame the lack of a widespread compressed natural gas fueling infrastructure. Volvo’s intention was to feel out the market here in the States to see if there was potential for these vehicles here, beginning with fleets and then transitioning to consumer sales. This article is reprinted as it originally ran in Green Car’s April 1997 issue to lend perspective on how Volvo’s bi-fuel program was evolving at the time.
DRIVING VOLVO’S BI-FUEL 850
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED APRIL 1997 Green Car testers recently had the opportunity to spend three weeks behind the wheel of a bi-fuel 1997 Volvo 850 Wagon. The vehicle, a Phase 1.5 car from the automaker’s 20 car test fleet based in New Jersey, was a factory produced model that had been upfitted off the line to operate on both compressed natural gas and gasoline. This was similar to an early CNG variant driven in Europe by Green Car editors several years earlier, without many of the upgrades being engineered into Phase 2 models now being worked on at the automaker’s headquarters in Goteborg, Sweden.
Driving this car was uneventful, which is to say there was no recognizable difference in the overall experience of driving this test vehicle versus a standard gasoline 850 sedan or wagon. During the 3,000 miles spent in the 850 driving on CNG, it exhibited extremely capable road manners, a comfortable ride, and plenty of acceleration. The acceleration, since it felt so “normal,” was somewhat deceiving.
Because this car was a bi-fuel variant that could be switched back and forth at will, we did just that on the highway at speeds varying from 25 mph to 70 mph. There is no evident changeover as the switch is engaged to change from one fuel to another, and no perceived difference in performance.
However conducting back-to-back acceleration runs from a standing start does illustrate the difference in performance, however slight, that a 10 percent drop in horsepower can bring – and that’s just about what you get when running on CNG in a non-optimized engine. We felt the difference in this 850 because we were looking for it. Would a fleet operator? Not likely.
Refueling is straightforward. Our test model offered a gaseous pressure fitting on the driver’s side behind a pivoting cover. It wasn’t as clean an arrangement as we’re used to seeing in a factory vehicle, but it was functional. The fuel cylinder is secreted beneath a factory-looking housing behind the rear seat. While this does sacrifice cargo space, it still allows the 850 adequate carrying capacity and a pleasing factory appearance, which will certainly be important to buyers as this model goes on sale in Europe in just a few short months.
"The production start for Phase 2 is week 27 in summer," Bo Ramberg, Volvo business project manager told Green Car. "In general, the first 1.5 cars were a mix of an aftermarket installation and a normal factory installation. But now, in Phase 2, we will put in all the electrical wires, all the parts in the engine, the tank, and the switch will be
on the line from the beginning." Additionally, Volvo is now providing a gaseous fuel level gauge in the instrument panel. A unique electronic engine control unit and an upgraded catalytic converter are also installed at the factory.
"We also have a new tank in the car," says Ramberg. "The volume increases and we go from a steel tank, where the weight is 82 kilograms, to an aluminum glass-fiber overwrap tank, where the weight will be 35 kilograms. This tank is imported from the U.S., then we do the wrapping in Norway." In addition, Volvo will move the refueling location from the left to the right side of the car, hidden behind a normal-looking fuel filler door just behind the gasoline refueling location.
Range is said to be improved some 20% over that of the Phase 1.5 car. With a larger 100-liter gaseous fuel cylinder and a conventional 70-liter gasoline tank, "the car's total range is over 1,000 kilometers," Ramberg adds. The price differential for the bi-fuel 850 is not definite in all markets at the time of this writing. However, Ramberg notes it depends a bit on market situations, and should be between "20,000 to 30,000 Swedish crowns," or about $2,666 to $4,000.
Want to know more about natural gas vehicles? Be sure to check out these articles on GreenCar.com:
Around the World on Natural Gas in a VW Caddy Eco Fuel Van
Advantages of Natural Gas for Vehicles in the U.S.
Commercial Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs)
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