2012: Volvo’s Diesel Plug-in Hybrid

Volvo has announced that they along with Vattenfall will speed up the development of its Diesel Plug-in Hybrid; they hope to have it ready for production in 2012. Volvo and Vattenfall hope to have the first of three demonstration vehicles ready by the summer.

As you would expect Volvo will be supplying the cars, while Vattenfall will supply some of the technology needed for the hybrid system, such as the charging units and the carbon-free electricity to the plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

The PHEV is very impressive, as it will use 71% of its 11.3 kWh pack of lithium ion batteries to supply power to the rear wheels, lasting about 30 miles. Once it has reached the 30 miles, the diesel engine will then take over and power the front wheels. AutoBlog informs us that the charging the battery will take around 5 hours, which can be done through a normal household type outlet.