Volvo announces hybrid plans
* Plug-in hybrid by 2012 * Uses standard wall socket * Diesel and electric power...
Volvo has announced it will have a plug-in hybrid model on sale by the end of 2012.
The car will be developed in a joint venture with Swedish energy company Vattenfall and will be powered by both an electric motor and a diesel engine. Volvo says that carbon dioxide emission will be lower than 50g/km.
Volvo also says the lithium-ion battery pack that powers the electric motor takes about five hours to charge using a standard wall socket. The batteries will also be recharged using the energy created while braking.
Later this year, Volvo will also introduce a range of new 'GTDi' (gasoline turbocharged direct injection) petrol engines, which will be far more economical and greener than the units they will replace.
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