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Volvo Demo Fleet to be Powered by Ener1 Batteries

We were telling you last month about the partnership between Volvo and the Swedish energy company Vattenfall in developing the carmaker’s first plug-in hybrid set to be launched in 2010. Since the car needed to be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, Volvo chose the American-made lithium-ion battery systems designed and produced by Ener1.

These systems will be used on a pair of lug-in hybrids V70 demonstration cars, which will make an European tour this fall as part of Volvo’s development program. The batteries were especially built for this program by EnerDel, part of Ener1.

"These cars and the battery systems constitute a tremendous engineering achievement and a major step forward in the commercial evolution of electric drivetrain technology," said Ener1 CEO Charles Gassenheimer in a release for the press.

"Volvo is every bit as demanding as you would expect. They approached this program with the same relentless passion for safety, quality and reliability that made them famous. You can't ask for a better performance measure than that."


Based on the battery system only, once charged from a standard household socket, the cars can be driven up to 31 miles. Of course a highly fuel-efficient diesel engine will be featured as well. The diesel engine will eventually run on renewable bio-diesel as well as standard blends.

The V70 demonstration fleet will be used to obtain feedback from the motorists, including their actual charging needs and expectations. Moreover, Vattenfall will test various concepts for high-speed home charging and for charging cars in public stations.

"Efficient, durable high-performance batteries are a vital element in plug-in hybrid and electric drive vehicles. They have to work year-in, year-out under harsh conditions and extreme temperatures, which means engineering and design are absolutely critical," said Anders Bjornberg, Hybrid Vehicle Specialist at Volvo Cars Hybrid Centre.
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