GreenCarReports.com - ELVIIS Keeps Your Volvo Electric Car Rocking...

The King may be dead, but your electric Volvo won't be, thanks to the ELVIIS research project.

Swedish automaker Volvo has announced its participation in the Electric Vehicle Intelligent Infra Structure (ELVIIS) project, to improve the electric car charging process.

Together with Ericsson, Swedish utility company Göteborg Energi, and the Viktoria Institute, Volvo Car Corporation is helping to develop the future of smart charging.

What is smart charging?

Essentially, smart charging is a means of taking the charging process beyond simply plugging in and forgetting about it.

While one of the benefits of electric cars is being able to do other things while you're "filling it up", smart charging reassures drivers by keeping them updated on the state of charge.

The system uses GPS to verify the charging location. Then, the driver pre-sets timing and charging amount on a touch screen inside the car, or remotely - via a smartphone, for example.

The car communicates with the grid via the mobile network, which can even time the charge to ensure low energy prices are used. If the charging is interrupted for any reason, the driver can be informed.

Conveniently, rather than having to pay at a particular charging station, the cost of any charge can be added to your own utility bill.

Volvo is currently testing the system with its 2012 Volvo C30 Electric cars, equipped with a 7-inch touch screen from which to control the charging.

The idea behind the technology is that running an electric car is made no more difficult than running an internal combustion vehicle. The driver can enjoy all the usual electric car benefits, with as little hassle as possible when it comes to charging.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1073329_elviis-keeps-your-volvo-electric-car-rocking

Volvo’s next safety frontier -- animals

CHICAGO -- Having long ago made a name for itself in vehicle safety, Volvo is turning its attention to protecting animals.

Or more correctly, protecting animals and drivers from each other.

The automaker is working on a new-generation safety system that detects animals --ranging from Swedish moose to family pets -- in the road.

“It’s active safety,” Volvo Cars of North America CEO John Maloney said today, speaking on the sidelines of the Chicago Auto Show.

“There are plenty of ways that people get into accidents. They hit objects. At the last moment, if they don’t see something, they’ll try to swerve when it’s too late. That will damage the car. And if it’s a pet, people don’t want their pets killed.”

Maloney declined to say when the animal system will begin appearing on Volvo vehicles, other than saying “it’s a couple of years out.”

“It’s a radar and camera-based system that’s looking for images in front of the car,” Maloney said. “If you’re not doing anything, it will intervene and either slow the car, depending on how close it is, or completely stop the car if it has enough time.”

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20120208/OEM04/120209814#ixzz1m13tPpX9

Volvo Concept You - Beauty shot, Interior

Volvo Gives a Glimpse at Frankfurt “Concept You” in New Video

Volvo has released a video clip previewing the Concept You it’s bringing to the 2011 Frankfurt auto show next week, and the car looks like an evolution of the automaker’s recent Concept Universe. In fact, we think it might be just a slightly tweaked version of the Universe, which was unveiled at this year’s Shanghai auto show. At that show Volvo played up the Universe’s China-centric design and importance, but promised it would show the concept in other parts of the world later.

The You’s front end—it is shown briefly as a sketch during the clip—wears a look that is very similar to that of the Universe, but with more traditional Volvo detailing. The Universe’s strange grille slats and headlight design gives way to Volvo’s signature eggcrate grille and headlights that feature what look like horizontal rows of LEDs on the You. The You’s hood even features a Universe-like semi-circular power dome on the hood. If the You is an extension of the Universe, we hope it looks more interesting; we described that car as being “styled with all the innovation of a Top 40 pop song.” We will have to wait and see what Volvo’s Concept You has in store when it is unveiled in Frankfurt.

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/volvo-gives-a-glimpse-at-frankfurt-concept-you-in-new-video/

Volvo Shows Plans for Three Electric Vehicles with Range-Extending Engines—or Hybrids

Volvo currently has its hands in several green technology pots, and has either developed or is developing everything from electric C30s to a flywheel hybrid system to a diesel-electric plug-in hybrid system. This week, the company announced that it’s working on yet another system (three, actually): three unique range-extended electric drive setups. Volvo is doing the development with the support of the Swedish Energy Agency and the European Union. A quick refresher: range-extended electric cars are electric vehicles with an onboard power generator—whether that’s a small gas engine or diesel.

Volvo’s three “technical concepts” all employ the similar hardware—a three-cylinder combustion engine and a 111-hp electric motor—but differ in how the engine assists the electric motor. The company claims that for each of its three range-extended concepts, effective range is increased by over 600 miles over each car’s electric-only range. There is no word about when we can expect to see one of Volvo’s range extender systems powering a production model, but if one is green-lit for production, it’ll be many years until a car so equipped hits the road.

Technical Concept I

The first concept, a modified Volvo C30, uses a series-connected range extender. The system consists of a 60-hp three-cylinder engine, the aforementioned 111-hp electric motor, and a 40-kW generator. The tiny, rear-mounted engine is not mechanically linked to the drive wheels at all (the Chevrolet Volt’s engine can send power to the wheels under specific circumstances) and simply turns the 40-kW generator that charges the car’s battery pack, which the electric motor draws power from (the power flows in a series).

Read More: http://blog.caranddriver.com/volvo-shows-plans-for-three-electric-vehicles-with-range-extending-engines

Volvo Illinois

Many Ways For Volvo To Go Green And Save Gas, Says CEO

Volvo likes to think of itself as a conscientious car company.

"Why are we different?" asked Stefan Jacoby, Volvo's German CEO. "We are Swedish; we come from a human-centric company. We do things because they have a purpose for people."

Safety, yes, but also green

Those things used to revolve around safety, and Volvo still nurtures its safe reputation, adding each year to its hundreds of patents for technology to make cars safer. The company's official goal is that no one will be killed or injured in a Volvo car by 2020.

But increasingly the purpose must also be producing greener cars, which for Europe by 2020 must emit no more than 95 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide on average. For Americans, that means 59 miles per gallon.

At a seminar called "Innovations Toward Zero," held last Thursday at the ultra-modern House of Sweden in Washington, D.C., both CEO Jacoby and Lennart Stegland, Volvo's president of special vehicles, laid out a full agenda of ways the company will get there.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1061348_many-ways-for-volvo-to-go-green-and-save-gas-says-ceo

Volvo’s Road Train Links Driverless Cars Together

Are you ready to give up control of your car for safety? Volvo hopes so as it develops its “road train” technology.
 
In a road train, multiple cars are “connected” by wireless technology to drive in packs on highways. One lead vehicle (with a “professional” human driver) sets the train’s speed, and other vehicles can link to the lead vehicle. On-board systems in the following vehicles would autonomously steer, accelerate, and apply the brakes as necessary. In theory, this would reduce the number of accidents caused by driver error on highways, and could allow drivers to nap or watch movies while behind the wheel.

“Road trains allow a driver to use their time better, drive safer, reduce congestion and improve the environment,” Broberg told Autocar. “You’re always following another car, so why not let the driving be done by someone else?”

Although he admitted there are legal and safety hurdles to surmount, Broberg said Volvo plans to test road trains on public roads in Sweden later this year. The company tested a road train composed of two vehicles in Sweden in January, and hopes that this technology will pave the way for fully autonomous cars.

Development of road trains is being funded by a European Commission program called Safe Road Trains for the Environment (SARTRE.) The SARTRE project is coordinated by U.K. engineering group Ricardo, with collaboration from several European universities and technical consultancies, as well as Volvo Cars and Volvo Trucks Corporation.

According to SARTRE, the vehicles in a road train will travel much more closely than human drivers safely can, potentially alleviating congestion. Close following distances and consistent driving manners are also said to reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent. SARTRE claims 80 percent of car accidents are caused by driver error, so road trains are expected to drastically improve highway safety. The group says road train “technology development is well underway and can most likely go into production in a few years time.”

Volvo Trucks Corporation– which is a separate company from Volvo Cars — has previously outlined a similar vision for autonomous semi trucks, which would drive themselves in road trains at 56 mph. Not only could truck drivers rest on long journeys, but the Volvo Concept Truck 2020s are designed to “draft” each other, thus reducing fuel consumption.

It’s no secret that Volvo Cars has long made its name on safety innovations. Now the company’s goal is for zero Volvo vehicles to be involved in car accidents in the year 2020. According to chief designer Anders Gunnarson, advanced accident-avoidance technologies will mean cars never crash, so they will be designed without extensive crumple zones and passive safety equipment.

“This means we designers can use these areas to create a stimulating, more attractive environment for driver and passengers,” Gunnarson said in a statement.


via Volvo, Autocar courtesy of Motor Trend Staff

Read more: http://blogs.automotive.com/6762441/concept-cars/volvo-s-road-train-links-driverless-cars-together/index.html#ixzz1NOw1dXe5

Volvo Concept Universe - Auto Shows

Let's get the complaining out of the way. The Volvo Concept Universe unveiled at the Shanghai auto show is styled with all the innovation of a Top 40 pop song. To some, the front end looks like a Swedish take on the 2002 Lincoln Continental concept’s; others see hints of Jaguar XJ in the rear end.

Getting past the shape, the Concept Universe communicates two important messages. First, it underscores that by universe, Volvo really means China. The company's new owner, after all, is China-based Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. Volvo's Chinese sales are fairly strong, and the management is desperate to grow its sales in the hot luxo-car market there. That's why Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby says of the Concept Universe, “We will listen very carefully to what the Chinese car buyers think of the design. Later, we will also show the Concept Universe in other parts of the world.” Gee, thanks.

Of greater relevance for those of us not residing in the People's Republic of China, is the new platform underpinning the Concept Universe. Volvo calls it Scalable Platform Architecture, and we should see it again beneath several—if not all—upcoming Volvo models. Volvo is mum on such trivialities as possible application, size range, and engineering details for the time being; we'll have to be satisfied with the promise of the concept’s designer, Jonathan Disley, that the interior is more spacious than that of the S80 on sale now.

Jacoby has previously said that his company needs to move away from pitching cars as “premium” models, because this language is too heavy on the marketing fluff. So it was with great relief that we found the press materials for the Concept Universe entirely devoid of that word, instead harping on “luxury.” Although Volvo has a history of successfully flogging its models as the ultimate luxury cars in Communist countries—the North Koreans still tool around in 240s, and East German elites in the 1980s lived in a gated community jokingly referred to as Volvograd—China's shoppers are increasingly demanding. The next-gen Volvos that will grow from this Concept Universe have to live up to the marketing, whether they're called premium, luxurious, or something else.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/11q2/volvo_concept_universe-auto_shows

Chicago Volvo Dealers

Volvo Future Engines to be Smaller, More Fuel-Efficient

Volvo recently announced it will be increasing the fuel-efficiency of its future vehicles by downsizing engine capacity.

Engine downsizing is a common way by which to decrease fuel consumption. Most manufacturers are also equipping their smaller engines with forced induction in order to maintain power outputs, a technique Volvo has been using for years. Volvo's engines with the new technology were just introduced on the new 2011 S60 and V60, only one of which we currently get here in the U.S. Volvo introduced a new 3.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injected I-6 in the U.S.-spec S60 that puts out the same horsepower as the old 4.4-liter, Yamaha V-8.

Europeans also have more engines to choose from, including a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, direct-injected "volume" I-4 that could come to the U.S. tt's unclear whether or not Volvo's future diesel engines will make it across the Atlantic. "We are taking a deep look at whether we will introduce the diesels to the U.S.," Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby told Autocar. "We haven't decided yet."

Read More: http://blogs.automotive.com/6734205/miscellaneous/volvo-future-engines-to-be-smaller-more-fuel-efficient/index.html

Volvo Dealers

Volvo's Test Ground - a Torture for Cars, short version

VolvoCarsNews

The test facility at Hällered in Sweden is a veritable torture chamber for cars. Here, Volvo cars are made to suffer around the clock in extraordinarily tough conditions. (In just a few months cars are aged as much as during the entire anticipated lifetime of the vehicles in normal traffic.)

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Volvo Dealers

Volvo EV converts Gasoline into Hydrogen to Power Battery

It's not news that Volvo has an electric vehicle. The battery-assisted C30 DRIVe Electric has been available to international customers since late September and Volvo has expanded its research to fuel cells.

However, rather than rely on a currently limited hydrogen fueling infrastructure, Volvo is forgoing the usual compressed hydrogen fuel tanks and utilizing a range extender that runs on conventional gasoline. A special fuel converter takes the gasoline and extracts hydrogen gas. The hydrogen is then turned into electricity within the fuel cell and used to drive the C30's 110-horsepower electric motor. The final yields from the chemical process is the electric energy, water, and a small amount of carbon dioxide.

"We have just taken the first steps and it is naturally too early to talk about market introduction of electric cars with Range Extenders," said Stefan Jacoby, Volvo CEO. "The industrial decision will come after we have learned more about fuel cells and the opportunities they offer."

The fuel cell range extender, after burning through an unspecified amount of gas, is expected to supply an extra 155 miles of driving range. The current C30 DRIVe Electric uses a 24-kilowatt-hour battery (22.7 kW-h employed for actual tractive efforts) and is rated for 93 miles through the New European Driving Cycle. With the range extender, these early developmental C30s will have a combined range of 248 miles, which is right in the neighborhood of the significantly more high-profile Tesla Roadster. The company responsible for the hydrogen generator and fuel cell stack is Powercell Sweden AB.

Read More: http://blogs.automotive.com/6723684/concept-cars/volvo-ev-converts-gasoline-into-hydrogen-to-power-battery/index.html

Volvo Dealers

Future Volvo Vehicles May Wear Batteries as Body Panels

Well, this is interesting.

According to Volvo, it has teamed up with the Imperial College London, Advanced Composites Group, Bundesanstalt Fur Material forschung undprufung, Chalmers,  ETC Battery, Fuel Cells Sweden, INASCO Hella, Nanocyl, and Swerea SICOMP, in developing a special composite material consisting of carbon fiber and polymer resin. This material is capable of storing and discharging great amounts of electrical energy and is supposed to recharge faster than the conventional vehicle batteries used today. When used to create body panels, the new carbon-fiber composite structures essentially serve as a hybrid or EV's battery stack, which also redistributes the vehicle's weight. Initial testing found the new, electrifying material could reduce a vehicle's weight by as much as 15 percent versus the use of steel body panels.

"Our role is to contribute expertise on how this technology can be integrated in the future and to input ideas about the advantages and disadvantages in terms of cost and user-friendliness," says Per-Ivar Sellergren, Volvo Cars Materials Center development engineer.

The first test phases concentrated on molding hoods, roofs, and door panels. During the driving process, the composite material is recharged like the hybrids and EVs of today through regenerative braking and tapping the electrical utilities grid. A composite hood, roof, and a full set of door panels on a normal sedan are expected to hold enough charge for 81 miles of electric driving. The range isn't phenomenal for the time being, but the project is on a three-year time frame and we can expect further developments as the engineers hunker down. The composite material is being adapted to the spare-wheel holder and, while there were few notes on the issue of safety, you can bet crash-worthy panels are a good concern as the carbon-fiber blend is still a ways away from a commercial release.

Read More: http://blogs.automotive.com/6691210/miscellaneous/future-volvo-vehicles-may-wear-batteries-as-body-panels/index.html

Volvo Dealers

Volvo to challenge BMW, Mercedes, Audi with V60 wagon

VERONA, Italy (Bloomberg) -- Volvo plans to challenge BMW AG, Audi and Mercedes-Benz with its new V60 station wagon in Europe.

Volvo forecasts annual sales of 50,000 of the V60, which goes on sale later this year, Tomas Ahlborg, the model's project chief, said in an interview in Verona, Italy, where the carmaker is holding test drives.

The V60 and recently introduced S60 sedan are key to Volvo's efforts to boost sales in its European market and reach profitability under China's Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., which four weeks ago bought the carmaker from Ford Motor Co.

Volvo is targeting sales of 400,000 cars worldwide this year, up from 334,800 in 2009.

“This will be one of our very most important cars for the European market,” Ahlborg said.

The V60, which started production today at the Torslanda plant near Volvo's Gothenburg, Sweden, headquarters, features a sloping rear windscreen that gives it a sportier look compared to the carmaker's V70 and V50 station wagons.

Volvo will use the model to challenge BMW's 3 Series Touring, the Audi A4 Avant and the Mercedes-Benz C class, Ahlborg said.

Volvo expects 90 percent of V60 sales to be in Europe, Ahlborg said. The car most likely won't be sold in the U.S. as “the market for sports wagons is pretty small” in North America, he said.

Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20100830/COPY01/308309930/1131#ixzz0yDXQocyo

Volvo Dealers

Stefan Jacoby new CEO at Volvo Cars

Stefan Jacoby new CEO at Volvo Cars This video is a summary from today when Volvo Cars new CEO, Stefan Jacoby, meet with the press at Volvo Cars Head Quarter in Göteborg, Sweden. He wants to bring Volvo to where it belongs - in the top league of the premium automakers. German Stefan Jacoby started his career with Volkswagen in 1985 and became VW's top Executive in the US in September 2007. Volvo Chicago	From:VolvoCarsNews Views: 4 1 ratings
Time:03:37

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It's Official: Ford Sells Volvo to Geely

It's done.

"This is a historic day for Geely, which is extremely proud to have acquired Volvo Cars," said Li Shufu, chairman of Volvo and Geely. "This famous Swedish premium brand will remain true to its core values of safety, quality, environmental care, and modern Scandinavian design as it strengthens the existing European and North American markets and expands its presence in China and other emerging markets."

On March 28, this year, Geely and Ford signed a sales agreement that called for a $1.8 billion transaction price, but was dependent on Volvo's finances including working capital and pension obligations. With the new adjustments, the closing transaction price came to a total of $1.5 billion. Geely paid Ford $1.3 billion in cash and the remainder came from a $200 million credit note. Ford paid $6.45 billion for Volvo in 1999.

Although Ford took a significant loss in selling Volvo, Ford CEO Alan Mulally views the sale as positive for both Ford and Volvo. With the sale, Volvo will receive more attention from its new Chinese owners and Ford will be able to focus more closely on its two core brands now. Despite the sale, Ford and Volvo have said they will continue to cooperate in certain areas including powertrain and body stamping. As of now, Ford has sold off its interests in Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volvo, decreased its stake in Mazda, and announced that Mercury production ceases in October.
Read More: http://blogs.automotive.com/6674048/miscellaneous/its-official-ford-sells-volvo-to-geely/index.html

Volvo Illinois

Volvo C30 Electric - Crash Test

Volvo C30 Electric - Crash Test

Crash test to make sure the battery is in a safe position. The battery is marked with green to clearly show its location under the car. This crash test was performed at 30 mph (approximately 48 km/h). Highspeed material is filmed in 1000 fps.

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