Volvo Cars has now taken a significant step towards its electrification goals. The company has recently confirmed that every model produced will now be available with plug-in options.
It has also announced plans to introduce a range of mild hybrids in the coming months starting with diesel and petrol versions on the XC90 and XC60 SUV models. These new mild hybrids will offer customers Volvo’s advanced kinetic energy-recovery braking system, which is coupled with its existing internal combustion engines to create a new integrated electrified powertrain, under its new ‘B’ badge.
This new powertrain, electrified via brake-by-wire energy recovery, offers drivers up to 15 percent fuel savings and emission reductions in real-world driving. The system works by interacting with the energy-recovery system and reduces fuel consumption and emissions by recovering kinetic energy under braking.
Due to extremely strong demand, Volvo Cars has upgraded its production capacity so that up to 25 percent of total production can be Twin Engine plug-in hybrid cars.
Volvo Cars aims to have all if its cars electrified by the middle of the next decade, and the ‘B’-badged powertrains are set to become the standard and lead the company towards this target.
The current T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid has been upgraded to feature a new battery and brake-by-wire advanced battery charging. The range of the T8 powertrain has increased by around 15 per cent, and this powertrain is available on all 90 and 60 series cars.
The XC90 will be available with a B5-badged mild-hybrid petrol or diesel variant, a B4 diesel mild hybrid as well as a B6 petrol mild hybrid. On the XC60, customers will be able to choose between a B5 mild-hybrid petrol or diesel variant, a B4 diesel mild hybrid as well as a B6 petrol mild hybrid.
The company’s smaller Compact Modular Architecture-based XC40 SUV will also receive a new electrified option, in the form of a T5 Twin Engine petrol plug-in hybrid. A second, T4 Twin Engine, plug-in hybrid option will follow later.
