http://ecomento.com/2014/04/14/pure-electric-volvo-xc90-suv-planned/ Pure electric Volvo XC90 SUV planned April 14, 2014 – Richard Lane
[image http://ecomento.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Electric-Volvo-XC90-SUV.jpg ] Volvo has confirmed that it will launch a battery-electric version of the new 2016 XC90 SUV that reaches dealerships next summer. A date for production is yet to be set, however. With its batteries packaged in a ‘T’ shape running along the center of the car and underneath the rear seats, interior space will be unchanged from conventional gasoline-powered models while the athletic proportions seen on recent Volvo concept cars (pictured) will become a reality. “We have pushed the front wheels forwards and the A-pillars backwards to get a long bonnet,” Dennis Nobelius, vice president of Volvo’s large vehicle programme, told Autocar. “We have also restricted the platform to accommodating four-cylinder engine, although there will be everything from a mild hybrid to a pure electric version.” Volvo has already confirmed that a powerful plug-in version of the XC90 is planned with a similar drivetrain to the V60 Plug-in Hybrid, only using a gasoline engine in place of the smaller car’s diesel unit. It is expected to boast an electric range of more than 30 miles yet develop around 300hp when both power sources combine for maximum attack. European sales of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid that ecomento.com reviewed last year have been so successful that Volvo has doubled production output. A pure electric version of the large SUV is an entirely different proposition. So far electric car buyers have been largely made to choose between smaller cars such as the Nissan LEAF and more recently the BMW i3. The idea of scaled up electric cars is now gathering momentum, however, with Tesla due to launch the all-wheel drive Model X SUV next year and Audi set to reveal the ‘Q8 e-tron’, complete with 370-mile electric range, not long after. With more space for batteries – and greater range as a result – zero emissions SUVs could come to dominate the electric vehicle sales in the same way that conventionally powered crossovers already do in more mature markets. Cost will be a pivotal factor, however. The 2015 Tesla Model X is already set to cost around $75,000, with more powerful models set to break the $100,000-mark. The Audi Q8 will be even more expensive with estimates suggesting that $130,000 is likely. When Porsche launches a pure electric version of Cayenne, which it surely will in the coming years, the stakes will rise higher still. With a range of alternative drivetrains planned Volvo in particular seems to be building up a head of steam, and with it the necessary expertise to get complex technology right faster than rival automakers do. Along with a rejuvenated design language the traditionally reserved Swedish brand may get a jump on more prestigious German rivals. [© ecomento.com] For all EVLN posts use: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/template/NamlServlet.jtp?macro=search_page&node=413529&query=evln&sort=date Here are today's archive-only EV posts: EVLN: UK's Electric Highway getting its first Combo ccs chargers in May EVLN: Tesla Gigafactory Will Provide More “U.S.-Made” Cars Than Ford EVLN: HI Leaf EV regen-recharges when coming down from a volcano EVLN: UK Highways Agency to test wireless charging of moving EVs + EVLN: ebay's orphaned Coda EVs {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Volvo-XC90-Electric-SUV-planned-tp4668977.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
