The first thing we noticed about the Volvo C30 Electric – the automaker’s most serious contender in the electric car space that will enter production in 2011 – is that it’s a great platform to turn into an electric vehicle. The standard C30 has an instantly likable interior that felt comfortably wrapped around us as soon as we closed the door. Sure, sure, we like the all-electric powertrain and all the benefits that come with it, but when it comes to the instant vibe that a car gives us when we step inside, the C30 Electric wins the everyday driving coupe award, hands down. Everything feels so right, competitors should be taking notes.
We drove around the LA Convention Center with Lennart Stegland, president of Volvo Special Vehicles, who said that Volvo began work on the electric C30 around 18 months ago. The reasons for the project are not hard to figure out: emissions legislation is getting tougher, and there’s only one way to meet those specs. “Immediately, you end up with electrification, one way of the other,” Stegland said. The Volvo C30 Electric project is one way for Volvo to learn everything it can possibly know about electrifying vehicles. “Normally, we would ask the suppliers. But right now, no one knows, so we have to acquire this competence in-house first. Because if we don’t, then we can’t buy the right stuff.”
Read the rest of this entry »
