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Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid

Early verdict on clever diesel-electric estate

Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid front

By Jon Morgan

May 2011

  • Rating:
Power, economy, zero emissions – Volvo claims its new V60 Plug-in Hybrid will have it all when it hits dealers next year. Can it deliver? Auto Express climbed behind the wheel of a prototype to find out.

Owners will be able to choose the optimum balance between the 2.4-litre turbodiesel and the 70bhp electric motor by picking from three modes. Select Pure, and the V60 runs on electric only with a range of up to 32 miles – enough for the average British driver’s commute, says Volvo.

In the Hybrid setting, diesel and electric power combine to return an amazing 124mpg and emit 49g/km of CO2. Switch to Power mode, and the electric motor gives the V60 285bhp and 640Nm of torque – enough for 0-62mph in 6.9 seconds and a limited top speed of 125mph.

The modified instrument panel has a screen that keeps the driver abreast of where the power is coming from, and you can enter your journey into a computer that calculates the optimum balance of diesel and electric power. 

When the engine does kick in, the transition is seamless, and in Power mode it’s punchy – the hybrid shaves nine tenths off the standard V60’s 0-62mph time. 

Electric all-wheel drive is available at the push of a button, too. This enables the control unit to manage the torque distribution between the diesel-driven front wheels and the rear axle, which 
is propelled by electric power.

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3 Comments

Bending the truth

Power, economy, zero emissions – Volvo claims its new V60 Plug-in Hybrid will have it all when it hits dealers next year... begins the report.

Power, yes. Economy, yes, zero emissions, NO.

The car has a diesel engine. Start that engine and you instantly produce emissions. Basic science, no argument.

Plus, if it's a plug-in, there's a good chance that emissions were released when that electricity was produced.

By quintilian on 2 June, 2011, 1:24pm

Quintilian is right

Why the car market is still investing in dirty diesels at all is beyond me - and diesel hybrids even more so. What we need for our day-to-day 'green' cars are gas turbine range extenders, combined with a new generation of nuclear power stations to provide the electricity to power them... microturbines are so small, simple and light that they would be much more reliable than any ICE hybrid system, much lighter too, can be fuelled on almost anything... it's a technology that nobody (JLR apart) is investing in and the industry is being incredibly stupid. A turbine/electric XF would wipe the floor with a hybrid 5-series. Instead of this, most carmakers are going for more heavy, dirty, polluting, particulate-pumping diesel engines, some in conjunction with electric hybrid systems. Even the new Routemaster range extender bus has a diesel engine. WHY?!

By StraightSixMan on 2 June, 2011, 2:04pm

WHY?

...because it's a fudge!!!

Ask yourself this, why does a so called 'Green' vehicle have such a large diesel engine? Surely it makes more sense to use a smaller 1.4 or 1.6 litre unit with just one powertrain setting that automatically distributes the workload between the two motors. Ok, performance might suffer a little but the benefits to the owner would be immense. We're probably going to be looking at over 150mpg if it's implemented well.

Or even better, design the system to run on Petrol/LPG and in a similar fashion to the way Diesel/Electric locomotives function, so that the tractive force is supplied solely by the electric motors, effectively relegating the ICE to function as a generator. Used in this manner and fueled with LPG, this car would have the potential to be a record breaker.

By sgtgrash on 2 June, 2011, 8:37pm

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Pictures

Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid front
Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid charging
Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid rear

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FIRST OPINION

    This early development mule shows the impressive promise of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid. It’s shaping up to be an extremely capable all-rounder, offering three cars in one: an EV over short distances, an ultra-frugal hybrid and a sporty estate. If Volvo can deliver the claimed all-electric range, economy and performance, this may be just what the motoring world has been calling out for – a green car without compromise.  

 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: £30,000 (est)
    Engine: 2.4-litre 5cyl turbodiesel
    Battery: 12.3kWh lithium-ion
    Power (diesel/elec): 215bhp/70bhp
    Torque (diesel/elec): 440Nm/200Nm
    Transmission: Six-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
    0-62mph: 6.9 seconds
    Top speed: 125mph (ltd)
    Economy: 124mpg
    CO2: 49g/km
    Equipment: Stop-start, electric four-wheel drive  
    On sale: 2012
     
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