Plan On Crashing Your Plug-In Car? Volvo Will Keep You Safe

Cars of today are immeasurably safer than those even a decade ago, and manufacturers have been working very carefully to ensure that the different requirements of electric car construction don't mean taking a step back in safety.

Volvo has always been known for safety and its plug-in cars are no different. They've already proven the safety of the C30 electric car and now it's the turn of the V60 plug-in hybrid to hit the wall.

In fact, it's the wall that hits the car in this latest test.

As with many electric vehicles, the battery pack is mounted below the trunk floor. This is great for practicality as it ensures space is retained in the cabin, but it does make the pack vulnerable in a rear impact.

As a result, Volvo has been carefully working for years now on making sure the batteries aren't compromised in a rear impact. And as you can see in the video below, the pack manages to keep its structure despite being hit hard at 50mph by a non-deformable sled. Controlled deformation protects the pack and other areas are reinforced. Sensors monitor the impact's severity and immediately shut off power supply, and even if the battery is breached and gas escapes, it's directed away from the occupants inside the car.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1067723_plan-on-crashing-your-plug-in-car-volvo-will-keep-you-safe

GreenCarReports: 2012 Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid Confirmed For Europe, U.S. Will Have To Wait

By Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield

Volvo has just confirmed that its first ever plug-in hybrid electric car -- and the world’s first plug-in hybrid station wagon -- will go on sale in early 2012. 

But the Swedish automaker has reiterated that while Europeans will get the Diesel-electric through-the-road plug-in hybrid, there are no plans to introduce it to the U.S. market in its current form.

We were among the first to get a sneak peak of Volvo’s compact plug-in station wagon at an exclusive pre-Geneva Motor Show preview event, and you told us that you wanted to know more about its high fuel economy figures, towing capability and electronic all-wheel-drive capabilities.

But the news from Volvo wasn’t good. It didn’t think the U.S. was ready for a diesel plug-in hybrid, executives said.

You told us otherwise, so the next time we saw the Volvo executives responsible for the V60 Plug-in hybrid -- this time for an exclusive fist-ride report of one of its pre-production prototypes  -- we asked them to reconsider the U.S. market.

Then in June Volvo CEO hinted that the V60 Plug-in Hybrid would be getting a gasoline make-over for the U.S. market, with the first cars due some time in 2013, making us think that Volvo had listened to its fans.

Now we’re not so sure. In a conversation with Volvo representatives in Europe, we were told that there’s no firm plans yet to bring the Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid to the U.S.

“It was speculated a few months ago when the CEO was in the U.S. on a trip,” said a Volvo spokesperson. “But never confirmed.”

With Volvo representatives remaining tight-lipped about the future for the V60 Plug-in Hybrid outside of Europe, we’re afraid you may be in for a wait if you want a station wagon that can tow, gets good gas mileage and plugs in too.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1067401_2012-volvo-v60-plug-in-hybrid-confirmed-for-europe-u-s-will-have-to-wait

Current Volvo C70 Convertible Likely Dead in 2013, Status of Replacement Uncertain

Volvo’s compact S40 and V50 have already been canceled, and the long-term future of the C70 convertible—which shares a platform with those two cars—was put into jeopardy today: The company announced that the factory producing it will close at the end of 2013. The Uddavella factory is owned jointly by Pininfarina and Volvo, but Volvo takes sole ownership when the cooperative agreement expires in two years. In a statement released today, CEO Stefan Jacoby said “The low volumes in the Uddevalla plant do not justify continued production.”

Company sources have told us that it is possible for Volvo to continue building the C70 at another facility, but a decision about its survival hasn’t yet been made. But Jacoby’s own remark in today’s press release seems to seal the current car’s fate. “We will now look into when a next-generation Volvo convertible can be on the market and where it should be manufactured,” he said, leading us to believe that production of the current car will end when the factory is shuttered.

When the cancellation of the S40 was announced in June, a spokesperson told us that the C70 and the compact C30 hatchback had never been intended to be much more than niche products. But the C70′s sales weren’t sufficient to justify an entire factory, and indeed the sales numbers may be too slim to justify even “niche” status for Volvo and its Chinese parent Geely.

While it will probably be many years until a new Volvo convertible arrives—if one does at all—we expect that it would use the automaker’s upcoming Scalable Platform Architecture. This new platform underpinned Volvo’s Concept You, which debuted at this year’s Frankfurt auto show.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/current-volvo-c70-convertible-likely-dead-in-2013-status-of-replacement-uncertain/