New York-based Ener1 Inc. will work with Volvo to manufacture PHEV demonstration versions of the automaker’s V70 wagon. Ener1’s lithium-ion batteries will be placed within Volvo PHEV systems for a duo of demonstration vehicles about to hit European roads this summer. Swedish utility Vattenfall is helping Volvo finance the battery purchase as well as the costs of running these tests over the next three years. The long-term goal for Volvo, Vattenfall and Ener1 is to get PHEVs on the road by 2012.
The Volvo V70 PHEV features a rear-wheel electric motor and a front-wheel diesel engine capable of reducing overall fuel consumption significantly. The demonstration vehicles feature Ener1’s 11.3 kWh batteries with charging systems capable of standard and quick charges through household outlets. The Volvo-Ener1 drive system can recharge within five hours of plug-in, facilitating overnight charges for commuters and vehicle fleets. The Volvo projects that the V70 PHEV demonstrator can travel 31 miles per charge without using a single drop of diesel. Volvo plans to augment its traditional diesel system with ethanol and other biofuels once production begins in 2012.
Volvo, Vattenfall and Ener1 have proven their commitment to delivering fuel-efficient vehicles in the past three years. Volvo and Vattenfall commenced their relationship in 2007 by examining both PHEV technology and the infrastructure necessary to make plug-ins viable for commuters. Ener1 began production on the lithium-ion battery packs used in this demonstration in summer 2008 with finished packs leaving production lines this February. The Volvo/Vattenfall/Ener1 axis is a great model for the eventual implementation of PHEVs into the auto market. Automakers going solo on EV and PHEV projects do not realize that local and regional utilities are part of the equation.
Volvo’s demonstration vehicles will be tested in major European cities starting fall 2009. The company will work with Ener1 and Vattenfall to observe performance statistics such as charging time, vehicle range and maintenance issues. Volvo and Ener1 plan to assess the performance levels of each demonstration vehicle throughout the trial period to tweak components before the 2012 production date. Europe is the perfect laboratory for the Volvo/Ener1 demonstration because cities like Paris, London and Stockholm are developing EV infrastructures at the moment. The real test for Volvo comes after 2012 when the V70 is ready to spread to the United States and Canada where plug-in structures are woefully inadequate.
