Driving report: Volvo C30 Electric: Arctic future

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Driving report: Volvo C30 Electric

Arctic future

Driving report: Volvo C30 Electric: Arctic future-arctic
Volvo
With the C30 Electric, Volvo has made it to take the wind out of the sails

Driving report: Volvo C30 Electric: Arctic future-arctic

Volvo
Driving report: Volvo C30 Electric: Arctic future
Not everyone can rent the electrical Volvo C30 and certainly don’t buy. It offers everyday suitability. Even in arctic conditions – thanks to fossil additional heating.

There is still skepticism in terms of electromobility. This is not only due to the price of the available cars, but also due to the long charging times and low ranges. In adverse climate and weather conditions, the radius of action shrinks to an unreasonable level. Volvo has planned with the C30 Electric to take the criticism out of the sails – but also those who "have no compromises" to their flags like Volvo this compact car must take certain compromises. For example with an additional heater that is fed from a 12-liter fuel tank. Depending on the customer’s request, it is refueled with the Biosprit E85 or conventional gasoline – the control must then be reprogrammed accordingly.
We have dealt with the electric compact car under Arctic conditions-and because the weather in Kiruna in northern Swedish is currently unusually warm, Volvo has parked the C30 models overnight in cooling chambers, the temperature of which has been controlled to minus 25 degrees. In fact, when the driving systems wake up, the additional heater immediately takes action, which brings the C30 Electric to pleasant temperatures within a few minutes. The fuel requirement is around one liter per operating hour in the warm -up phase, and the value in driving is reduced to about half. Depending on the average speed, this is not that little, but it is also possible to do without the additional heating. Then the car heats purely electrically, and the range shrinks considerably – on a moderately cold winter day well and gladly around 30 kilometers.
Even then, there are still around 100 kilometers left. Volvo promises around 150 kilometers in normal operation and emphasizes that these values can also be achieved realistically. At the end of our 80 kilometer route through the snowy Lapland, only 5 kilometers of residual range were displayed – but we had hardly left an opportunity to strain the batteries. At times both seat heaters ran, the fossil additional heating was switched off, and it also had to be checked out the sprinting assets: the wheels on the slippery road still run down at 70 km/h; In ideal conditions, according to the manufacturer, the C30 traces 100 km/h in 10.9 seconds. At 130 km/h, the Swede runs gently into the offset. In theory, the 82 kW/111 hp electric motor built by Swiss supplier Brusa could even drive the C30 to around 180 km/h; In the interest of the range, the electronics prevent such excesses.
Driving is simple and pleasant: a futuristic selection lever allows you to switch between the driving programs d (such as "drive") and H (such as "highway"). In D mode, the C30 ELECTRIC will return energy when using the gas-so clearly that the range increases noticeably if you cleverly use the engine brake. The delay is so strong at speeds below 50 km/h that the blemks flare up; Even at higher speeds, the Volvo noticeably reduces speed when using the power path. In the "H" mode, the C30, in turn, is rolling almost endlessly- a special comfort experience that currently does not offer conventional driven vehicles and- depending on the driving and road profile- this can also increase efficiency.
When the driver presses the battery, a battery warning appears, and, if necessary, a turtle lights up in the instrumentation that symbolically refers to the remaining performance potential. At the latest with an illuminating battery symbol, it is time to look for a socket and start the charging process, which takes six to over ten hours depending on the power connection.
Volvo is currently building a small series of 250 units; In Germany, the vehicle is only offered to commercial customers who have to adjust to a monthly net leasing rate of 950 euros without a special payment for Volvo, which is probably not cost-covering for Volvo. Subsequently, in cooperation with the Siemens group, a second series of the C30 Electric is being created, which, according to the current status, is to run exclusively in the Siemens-internal company. Actually, it is a shame that the C30 Electric private customers are withheld. Because the degree of suitability for everyday use and the offered driving pleasure put most in the shade, which has been offered on the market so far. And that is a significant part of the integrated fuel addiction heating. It doesn’t work without any oil.

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