Volvo Details New V60 3-Mode Plug-in Hybrid

In brief: Volvo Cars will introduce the V60 hybrid at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show and go to market in 2012.

Vehicle in the news

Make/Model: V60 PHEV

Manufacturer: Volvo

The word

The V60 will be a diesel electric hybrid plug-in with a 5-cylinder 2.4L D5 turbodiesel engine producing 215hp and 325lb-ft (440Nm) of torque. On the rear axle is an Electric Rear Axle Drive (ERAD) with a 52kW (70hp) motor and 12kWh in lithium-ion batteries. A 6-speed automatic transmission is standard.

The driver has a choice of 3 driving modes, changing the interaction between the diesel and electric drive trains.

Pure Mode has the car running all electric with no diesel engine use. This gives a range of up to 31 miles per charge.

Hybrid Mode is default and uses both the diesel and electric motors to optimize the balance between driving pleasure and efficiency. This has a total range of about 746 miles per tank of diesel.

Power Mode is optimized for performance, giving the car a 0-61mph speed of 6.9 seconds. This is obviously the least efficient of the choices.

Using these modes, drivers can optimize their drive for best results. During a morning commute, for instance, a driver might want to run in Power Mode to keep the batteries charged because he or she knows that the drive home is stop-and-go (perfect for all electric).

Other options include climate controls tied only to the ICE so that the car is heated/cooled by the diesel engine only, saving energy.

And so ...

The V60's instrument panel has been redesigned to give full information on energy use, availability, etc., as well as integrating with mobile applications.

Photo credits: Volvo

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