Volvo Technologies To Extend Range Of Automobiles By 1000 KM

In present era, battery technology seems to be advancing but it appears that Volvo is trying to take a lead in it. What appears to be the three concepts by Volvo, the auto major is trying to improve the range of its vehicles by nothing less than 1000 Km. For achieving this the company is taking the help of its batteries along with combustion engine there by making its  C30 model more advanced. The project is developed with the support from Swedish Energy agency and the European Union. The electric vehicles will add a whole new technology for extending the range, thereby turning C30 into a hybrid.  However out of the three ideas proposed to achieve 1000 Km extension, the automaker is yet to take a final decision. The models to be tested for choosing the best possible was of range extension along with the concepts are Volvo C30 with a series range extender, Volvo C30 with parallel range extender and a Volvo V60 with parallel range extender.

CONCEPT I: C30 WITH SERIES RANGE EXTENDER

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This car will feature a three cylinder engine capable of producing 45KW power situated below the rear load compartment door as visible in the figure. The car will be provided with an 80 KW electric motor primarily driven by a 40 KW generator incorporated for the same reason. The generator will be powered by the said three cylinder engine, the car being fitted with a 40 liter fuel tank. In this way, the driver can either have the above mentioned arrangement or the battery charged by the generator. The car will anyways will be able to travel 9 times its present range.

CONCEPT II: C30 WITH PARALLEL RANGE EXTENDER

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The second concept proposed by Volvo appears to be more viable than the first one. It is expected to offer a better performance than the series range concept. The difference is of course evident from the figure. Here the car is fitted with a 140 KW turbocharged engine. A slight change from the conventional arrangement, the engine is followed by a six speed automatic transmission before being connected to rear wheel drive. The battery provides a 72.4 KM a little less than concept I; however the range extender mechanism is good enough for the car to travel 1000 KM.

Another noticeable feature is that the car hardly requires 6 seconds to touch 60 KMPH speed.

CONCEPT III: VOLVO V60 WITH PARALLEL RANGE EXTENDER
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The third concept is rather an interesting one. Unlike the first two, the whole driving system is arranged in the front bonnet (see the gearbox in figure). For power generation, an 80 KW electric motor is supplemented with three cylinder engine producing 140 KW power. The mechanism seen in the third concept moves front wheels and also recharges the battery as and when required by both the motor and the combustion engine.  The battery pack is only good for a 50 KM range while the remaining magic is done with the help of range extender mechanism.

With these three concepts hand, Volvo expects to make car highly efficient and eco-friendly without having to compromise on customer's comfort. For us, let us wait and watch till we get to see exactly which idea got selected.

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