The Car Tech blog

This V70 model is a research vehicle for Volvo to develop a plug-in hybrid power train.

(Credit: Volvo)

Jumping in on a growing trend among automakers, Volvo announced that it will offer a plug-in hybrid car as early as 2012. Although a picture of a V70 plug-in hybrid concept was included with the announcement, Volvo hasn't confirmed which model it would use for this technology. In the past, the company has also shown a C30 concept with a plug-in hybrid power train.

But Volvo did specify the type of power train it would use for the car. The announcement describes a parallel hybrid, meaning drive power is provided by electric motors, an internal combustion engine, or both. Volvo would use a diesel engine with the capability to run on synthetic fuel in this application. The car would be designed to run under electric power for about 30 miles, making it suitable for city errands and commutes, after which the diesel engine would kick in. Volvo says the total range of the vehicle will be 745 miles.

European environmental regulations give Volvo ample incentive to develop the car. Under European emissions testing, the car would produce under 50 grams of CO2 per kilometer. At that level, some European countries will offer buyers a 5,000 euro discount on the price of the car, according to Volvo.

Volvo also seeks to allay fears that the electricity used to charge up the batteries in these cars will make an excessive impact on the grid. The company points out that a medium-size wind power station could provide the electricity required for 1,000 to 2,000 plug-in hybrids. Drivers would benefit from lower operating costs, as the amount of electricity used to drive the car over a mile costs significantly less than the diesel fuel that would run it over the same distance.

While there will be big changes under the hood, the C30 BEV will otherwise be identical to the C30 ICE.

(Credit: Volvo)

Volvo Cars has announced that, in addition to developing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, it has an all-electric version of the C30 hatchback in the works. The electric variant will be called the C30 BEV (battery electric vehicle) and will be the automaker's first all-electric vehicle.

The C30 BEV will replace the internal-combustion engine with an electric motor of indeterminate output. Meanwhile, the gasoline tank will be dropped in favor of a lithium ion battery pack. Volvo states that it is still working on the best placement of the 24 kWh battery pack, but has stated that the center tunnel and/or the stock gas tank location would be the safest options. Recharging a drained battery with a 230V household power supply will take about 8 hours.

Along with a new powerplant comes a new instrument cluster, complete with a kilowatt meter.

(Credit: Volvo)

The C30 BEV will be limited to a top speed of about 81 mph, which is good enough for highway cruising, with a best-case-scenario range of 93 miles between charges. Zero-to-60 runs will take about 11 seconds, but that would put a sizable dent in your cruising range.

"The Volvo C30 is the first model we will try out with electric power. This car's excellent properties in city traffic and its relatively low weight make it particularly suitable, since electric cars are primarily expected to be used in and around cities and for daily commuting," said Lennart Stegland, Director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles.

As we've seen this week, some automobiles generally referred to as "lemons" or "clunkers" find new life as modified street racing cars or as nostalgia novelty acts. But some cars are so lame and unattractive that they're forever known as a joke vehicle. Probably the best example is presented here for you today in the form of the Yugo 45.

The Yugo is a crappy little compact that was foisted upon the American market from Europe, and was belittled so much in the States that in 1991 the Yugo couldn't even break 4,000 units sold. The car was such an automotive punchline that listeners of NPR's "Car Talk" proclaimed it the "worst car of the millennium". (As a sidenote, I remember that my brother once stumped Click and Clack during a phone call to Car Talk regarding his dysfunctional 1988 Suzuki Samurai).

This highly entertaining video features a snarky British dude first driving an old compact Volvo which he shortly crashes into a tree. Then he gets behind the wheel of a Yugo 45, where he makes light of its lacking ability to make 60 miles per hour, its braking capability, and the car eventually gets passed on the road by kids on bicycles. After all the insult and injury, the bloke breaks out a window and then breaks out an artillery tank that opens fire on the poor, pitiful Yugo out in an open field...seems like a fitting end to not just this car, but to theme of putting clunkers in general out of their misery by any means necessary.

The ubiquitous three-point seat belt connects to the vehicle at the hips and over a single shoulder.

(Credit: Volvo Cars)

The simple seat belt is one of the most ubiquitous, yet often overlooked bits of safety tech; but 50 years ago, this wasn't the case. On August 13, 1959, the world's first car with standard-fit three-point safety belts--a Volvo PV544--was delivered to the Volvo dealer in the Swedish town of Kristianstad. 50 years and about 1 million saved lives later, the V-shaped three-point safety belt can be found in just about every new car on the road. Happy birthday, three-point safety belt!

Nils Bohlin inventor of the three-point safety belt. Nice bow tie, BTW.

(Credit: Volvo Cars)

Before the three-point belt, there was the basic lap belt. This two-point design did a good job of keeping passengers in their seats during a collision, but it failed to evenly disperse crash forces resulting in a bruised forehead or--at high speeds--a possible fractured pelvis. The three-point design, developed by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin, more evenly spread impact forces across the passenger's torso and helped to keep the upper body in place.

Sure, some of the automatically deploying incarnations of the '80s and electronic nannies of today can make the seat belt a bit of an annoyance for some drivers, but having emerged unscathed from more than a few fender benders, I have first-hand knowledge of the value of this simple fabric strap. Trust me, you're better off wearing it.

Check out the video after the jump, which details more of the history and the future of Volvo's involvement with the three-point safety belt.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

In line with its safety focus, Volvo is pioneering some very cool electronic-driver-aid technology. The 2010 Volvo XC60 can be had with lane departure warning, following-distance warning, and blind-spot detection. But while these safety gadgets are optional, Volvo takes the impressive step of making its City Safety feature standard. This feature automatically jams on the brakes when it detects an imminent low-speed collision, which should make insurance companies happy.

Read our review of the 2010 Volvo XC60.

The Mercedes-Benz E-class suggests coffee if it thinks you are falling asleep.

(Credit: Mercedes-Benz)

The new E-class features quite a few cutting-edge driver aid gadgets, such as night vision, blind-spot detection, and adaptive cruise control. We saw these features previously in the Mercedes-Benz S550, but the E-class will also include Attention Assist, a new feature for Mercedes-Benz that keeps you from falling asleep at the wheel.

Attention Assist monitors the car's driver, using 70 parameters to determine if he or she is dozing off. If it detects a drowsy driver, the system sounds a warning tone and lights up a coffee cup icon on the speedometer display. The system relies heavily on monitoring steering-wheel input, as a tired driver will drift, then make sharp corrections.

Volvo launched a similar feature last year in the S80, complete with coffee cup icon. During our testing of that car, we tried our hardest to make it think we were falling asleep.

We predict the next generation of this technology won't bother with the warning part, instead automatically driving the car to the next rest stop and letting you nap.

This photo, taken at the 2007 Frankfurt auto show, shows Volvo's ReCharge it concept, which is a flex-fuel plug-in hybrid that uses in-wheel motors and is based on the C30 coupe platform.

(Credit: CNET)

The maker of some of the world's safest vehicles will soon be the maker of one of the world's most fuel-efficient vehicles. Volvo announced today plans to produce a plug-in hybrid vehicle that will be available in 2012.

"Most car journeys are short trips, for instance to and from work. We will be able to offer a product that fulfills this transportation need. In order to cover longer distances as well, the car will also be equipped with one of Volvo's fuel-efficient diesel engines," Volvo President and CEO Stephen Odell said in a press statement.

The new development will be a joint venture between Volvo and Swedish energy company Vattenfall. Volvo plans to create a plug-in version of an existing model rather than create a new one, and its charging systems will be developed and supplied by Vattenfall.

Volvo has previously stated its plans for a fleet of 10 plug-in hybrids. The Swedish car company did not name which of its existing cars will be the first to go plug-in, but last year Volvo road-tested the ReCharge Plug-in Hybrid, which is based on the C30 coupe platform and uses a diesel engine to power the lithium ion batteries.

A track full of Volvo S60 Concepts is something I thought I'd never see.

(Credit: SimBin/CNET)

Aside from the S60, players can try a variety of historic racing Volvos, such as this BTCC C30.

(Credit: SimBin/CNET)

Here are two words that most people never think to string together in one sentence: Volvo and Race. However, while most of us think of Volvos as slow and safe, the brand actually has a storied racing history. So color us tickled that Volvo has teamed up with SimBin Studios--creators of such games as GTR Evolution and RACE '07--to create Volvo: The Game, a racing sim populated with completely with, you guessed it, Volvos.

Players are able to chose between the Volvo S60 Concept car (unveiled at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show) in show and race trim and other historic Volvo racing vehicles such as the S40, 850, 240, C30, and S60. Two tracks (Gothenburg Eco Drive Arena in Göteborg, Sweden and Chayka outside Kiev in the Ukraine) are available and 14 drivers with accompanying livery can be chosen for their respective vehicles.

The Game features detailed interiors for each of the Volvo vehicles.

(Credit: SimBin/CNET)

The game features multiple views with detailed recreations of each vehicle's interior. The graphics are pretty good, but I must admit that my gaming rig had me stuck at the lower end of the detail scale.

Quick race, time attack, and online competition modes are available as well as a replay theater to play back your greatest racing moments.

Volvo: The Game supports many racing wheels, gamepads, and keyboard controls and can be downloaded for free play on Windows XP/Vista at www.volvocars.com/game.

The navigation system we're taking a look at today comes with the 2009 Volvo XC. This video's a little on the long side, but not only does it run down the features of the car's navigation system, you also get to hear about its blindspot information systems (get your safety on!), bluetooth connectivity, and voice-activated help. This video also gives a first-hand view of how the car drives as the vehicle is pioneered throughout the city of San Francisco (what beautiful views...)