Autoblog

Despite rumors, Volvo not ceasing electric C30 production plans

Sebastian Blanco — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Hatchback, Volvo, Electric

Dutch website NU recently reported that Volvo expects low demand for its C30 Electric, and therefore it decided to stop building the mostly electric car (it has a small, ethanol-burning heater to keep passengers warm). The original source for this information was a story in the Belgian newspaper The Age that cited Volvo's government affairs director, Anders Kärrberg. Turns out, this isn't quite right.

First, Volvo has always said the C30 Electric is a limited program. When the company started making the attractive EV in last summer, the public plan was to make just 250 units. So, the fact that the automaker is getting ready to finish up building the 250 units and then reevaluate the situation is not a surprise.

We asked Volvo's Malin Persson about the situation, and she told Autoblog that "[it has] never been our aim to continue with production of C30 Electric for a longer period of time." She added that:

[Volvo Car Corporation] will not end the production of the C30 Electric - but it has always been a project limited in numbers and time.
Approximately 200 cars have been built from the first generation, another 50 remain to be built before summer.
In the second generation, starting after the summer, 100 cars will be built in cooperation with Siemens and with Siemens technology.
The know-how and experience VCC has gained and will gain from the C30 Electric project will be extremely valuable when taking decisions about the way forward when it comes to electric cars.

So, instead of reporting that Volvo is stopping C30 Electric production, the reality is that 100 vehicles has been added to the build order. How aggressively Volvo continues to push on with electric technology beyond its C30 program - in something like the XC60 plug-in hybrid - remains to be seen. Kärrberg told The Age that Volvo thinks EVs will only make up one percent of the market in the next eight years, thanks to expensive batteries and a hodgepodge of government incentives.

Despite rumors, Volvo not ceasing electric C30 production plans originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volvo nixing C30 in favor of five-door V30?

Damon Lavrinc — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:29:00 EST

Filed under: Hatchback, Volvo, Rumormill, Electric

The Volvo C30 is nearing the end of its lifecycle and that means Volvo can take its compact hatch in one of two directions: plug on with a three-door variant or make a more spacious five-door to compete with the Audi A3.

According to Autobild and based off these previous spy shots, Volvo plans to go the latter route, with a new stretched hatchback to take on the BMW X1, upcoming Mercedes-Benz BLK and Volkswagen Golf abroad. Slated to arrive sometime next year, the so-called V30 would pack a range of gasoline and diesel mills, maxing out with a 240-horsepower four-cylinder driving the front wheels. There's not talk of an all-wheel-drive version, but an all-electric variant that extends the capabilities and range of the C30 EV prototypes running around Europe is most certainly in the cards.

Volvo nixing C30 in favor of five-door V30? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Volvo will build an Electric C30 test fleet, but no word on public sales

Michael Harley — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Europe, Government/Legal, Technology, Volvo, Electric

Volvo C30 EV - Click above for high-res image gallery

Volvo has not made any official determination whether or not to sell its Electric C30 in the U.S. or Europe, says the automaker. However, the company will build a 50-vehicle test fleet for use in Sweden. Each of those vehicles, highly instrumented and fitted with telematics, will feed data back to the company's research group for analysis. The company has the capacity to build more than 50 cars, but no decision to expand production has been made at this point.

The automaker also discusses the difficulty in meeting EU regulations (CO2-focused) vs U.S. regulations (emissions-focused). While consumers have been receptive to environmentally-friendly powertrains, Volvo would be required to build unique platforms for each market - a cost U.S. consumers are not willing to bear at this point.

UPDATE: Volvo contacted Autoblog to clarify the number of Electric C30's that will be built for testing, where the vehicle would be sold, and its reasoning for not bringing the vehicle to the U.S. in the near future. The article has been updated to reflect this new information.

Gallery: Detroit 2010: Volvo C30 EV

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Report: Volvo will build an Electric C30 test fleet, but no word on public sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Feb 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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