Volvo Creates Prototype V70 Powered by Five Fuels

For a carmaker that was once only associated with safety and ninety-degree bodywork, Volvo has taken on quite a number of new initiatives. Its now a brand associated with style, with quality, with ground-breaking interior design, and although you might never have guessed, a brand associated with green technology. Some Volvos even feature something called PremAir, a radiator treatment which is able to consume ozone on contact for a cleaner, more breathable atmosphere. They've also introduced their first V8 engine, a Yamaha one no less, clean enough to designate the XC90 V8 the only V8-powered vehicle in the world to meet ULEV II emissions standards.

So, what have the Swedes been doing lately on the green front? In a nutshell, they've been trying to one-up the competition in the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the worlds biggest automotive green-energy symposium, where carmakers show off their latest environmentally-friendly pride and joy.

At last years event in Shanghai, China, Volvo entered the unique 3CC Concept Car, a 2+1 seater electric car capable of providing real-world performance and range. Its pretty difficult to follow up on a vehicle like this, but nevertheless it seems to have been outdone: a practical, family-friendly station wagon thats capable of running on five different fuels.

Though the name "Multi Fuel Prototype" is more than likely to conjure up images of a car that resembles the form of the 3CC, this running concept is based on a standard, production V70 station wagon, although painted in a non-standard, vibrant electric yellow. The goal of the Multi Fuel Prototype is to make the vehicle efficiently run on five different types of fuel; standard gasoline, E85 (bioethanol), natural gas, biomethane, and hythane. The most intriguing fuel of the bunch is hythane, which, going off the alternative fuels nomenclature is a mix of hydrogen and methane. Hythane is a new type of alternative fuel blend, which, in this particular application consists of 10 percent hydrogen, and 90 percent methane.

Aside from being able to run on five different types of fuel, whats truly amazing about the Multi Fuel Prototype is that its performance remains relatively consistent, irregardless of the fuel that its being run on. Volvo pegs the turbocharged engine at producing around 200 horsepower, which is easily sufficient to power the full-size wagon.

The extra-clean nature of hythane, E85 bioethanol and CNG biomethane enable the Multi Fuel Prototype to surpass all existing emissions regulations currently imposed in any market, and, furthermore would qualify it to meet the forthcoming EuroV emissions regulations.

These particular fuels also have the benefit of being carbon neutral, meaning the amount of carbon released when the fuel is burned is equal to the amount taken in by the crops used to make the fuel.

Aside from the Multi Fuel Prototype vehicle, Volvo has also been working on converting its entire range into an environmentally-friendly lineup. The S40 1.6D is Volvos efficient production vehicle, consuming a mere 48 mpg of diesel, all while producing emissions that are 15-20 percent lower than an equivalently powerful gasoline model. Thus far, Volvo has not exported any diesel-powered models to North America. The station wagon variant, the V50, is also available in Europe in a FlexFuel model, which can run on E85 bioethanol. When running on the ethanol-enriched fuel, it produces some 80-percent fewer carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline. Finally, Volvo also offers the S60 Bi-Fuel, which runs on both gasoline and biomethane (CNG / Natural Gas). When fueled by CNG, tailpipe emissions of carbon dioxide are some 25 percent lower than gasoline.