The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid hits the market

It's here. The world's first diesel plug-in hybrid car is about to roll out onto the market. The model - the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid - is the result of a joint venture between Volvo Cars and Vattenfall, and market indications suggests the first batch of 1,000 cars will have been sold even before production starts in the autumn of 2012.

The V60 Plug-in Hybrid truly takes hybrid cars to the next level, as it can be driven in three different modes. In hybrid mode, the CO₂ emission level is at 49 g/km - 65 percent lower than a conventional V60 with the same diesel engine. Driving in pure electrical mode the model manages 50 km on one charging and in power mode, it performs at 215+70 horsepower and 440+200 Nm of torque. The driver changes modes with the push of a button.

Vattenfall and Volvo Cars have shared the investments in the V60 Plug-in Hybrid fifty-fifty, and Vattenfall also contributes with competence and solutions for the interaction between the car, the home or work place and the electrical network, as well as with the company's expertise in electricity safety, charging and EU standards.

”The car will be delivered with an offering for charging solutions from Vattenfall, to make driving on electricity even more convenient,” says Susanna Hurtig, Vattenfall's Project manager at Business Development, E-mobility. "Now we show that Vattenfall is a leading player in e-mobility.”

She explains that Vattenfall is offering a starter package in the Group's core markets - Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany - including 100 percent renewable electricity and installation of charging stations in the home or at work.

"These charging stations are equipped with a so-called Mode 3 functionality, enabling the charging station to send signals to the car to control the charging current and thereby the charging speed. Also, there are several safety functions, such as the instant break in the outlet´s electrical current if the plug and the car are disconnected.”

The charging times will depend on the size of the battery and charging speed, but the 12 kWh battery in the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will take about three hours to charge, at16 Ampere.

In January 2007, Volvo Cars and Vattenfall launched the industrial partnership, with the aim to test and develop plug-in technology. One of the results of this cross-border initiative was the formation of a jointly owned company, V2 Plug-in-Hybrid Vehicle Partnership. The Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid was presented in March, at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. Production will start in 2012.¨

"Backed by the innovative power and spearhead technological competence of two industries, we have succeeded in creating a car that is truly unique in the automotive world,” says Vattenfall's President and CEO Øystein Løseth. "I'm very proud of the fact that Vattenfall and Volvo Cars are the driving forces behind the development of transport solutions that tackle climate issues and society's oil dependency. With renewable electricity from Vattenfall, the plug-in hybrid can be driven with minimised climate impact and local emissions. The result of the project emphasises that the future of the car lies in electrification."

Volvo Cars' President Stefan Jacoby agrees:

"No single industry or organisation can tackle the climate challenge on its own. It is Volvo's mission to develop carbon dioxide-lean cars, but a sustainable future must be built up jointly by everyone concerned. This project shows how cooperation between experts in different areas takes us one step closer from individually carbon dioxide-lean products to a well-thought-out climate-smart lifestyle."

After the initial batch of 1,000 cars for model year 2013, production of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid will increase to 5,000 cars as of model year 2014. About 30 percent of total volume will go to Sweden and the other Nordic countries. Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Britain will have a share of between five and 15 percent each.

"We expect the order books to fill very quickly,” says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Cars. "The most discerning customers have many exclusive cars to choose between. But for anyone who truly wants to be in a league of their own behind the wheel of the most ingenious car in the world, there's only our V60 Plug-in Hybrid.”