Volvo to Give C30 a Series Hybrid Boost

Think Volvo, and often the first thing that comes to mind is safety, andmore recently a purveyor of some really cool looking cars. But did you know that aside from such pursuits the environment has long been a concern to this Swedish brand? Volvo's first groundbreaking technology arrived back in the '70s - 1976 to be specific - with a three-way catalytic converter equipped with Lambda sond, a special type of emissions control that eliminated 90-percent of harmful emissions. Almost all cars on the road today have a catalytic converter incorporating this system. Since then, Volvo's initiative includes the use of Bi-Fuel (bio-methane and gasoline) as well as E85 flexfuel. Then there's the PremAir coating found on the radiators of Volvo cars that converts ground-level ozone into breathable oxygen as the car drives. At the time of its launch, the XC90's Yamaha V8 engine was the cleanest gas-powered V8 engine in the world, meeting SULEV-II emissions ratings.

Volvo is continuing to develop new "green" technologies, findinginnovative ways of reducing consumption and emissions without compromising driving ability. In recent years, it's used the annual Michelin Bibendum challenge, a sort of environmentally conscious race designed to test vehicles with prototype technology. For Volvo and many other automakers, the Bibendum Challenge is also a chance to show off a firm's newest innovations. Last year, Volvo debuted the Multi-Fuel prototype based on a standard V70 wagon, which featured an engine that could run on five different fuels: bio-methane, bio-ethanol, natural gas, hythane (10-percent hydrogen, 90-percent methane) and should none of these be available, regular gasoline. Previously, Volvo entered the V70 Bi-Fuel, the forerunner to today's natural-gas and gasoline-powered Volvo production vehicles, as well as the 3CC concept, a stylish, gullwing door sports coupe powered completely by electricity.

German magazine Autobild reports that for this year's Bibendum challenge, Volvo is readying a series hybrid drivetrain system for its compact C30 hatchback. The C30, Volvo's smallest car, was designed for savvy urbanites, therefore an even more environmentally friendly version could be the perfect addition to the product range. The term "series hybrid" is quickly becoming popular after the introduction of the Chevrolet Volt and Ford Airstream / Edge HyDrive concepts that use a fueled (gasoline, hydrogen, etc.) engine as a generator to recharge batteries, although in reality all current hybrids are series hybrids. Volvo hasn't released any details about the system yet, but from what we understand, the C30's generator will be powered by a small-displacement diesel engine. The batteries should give the car the ability to travel 45 miles on pure electricity with plug-in capabilities. At this time, it's unknown whether or not Volvo's series hybrid system was developed by the same people that worked with Ford for their two series hybrid vehicles, but we have a sneaking suspicion such is the case.