Volvo C30 Electric Car Travels Longer Range on Single Charge

Volvo develops fuel-cell range extender for C30 Battery Electric Car; allows 155 extra miles on single charge

At the Paris Motor Show, which ran from October 7-17, Paul Gustavvson, the man behind Volvo's entry into the electric car market, announced that Volvo will be releasing its new battery electric version of the C30 for production by 2013. Stefan Jacoboy, the CEO of Volvo, has high expectations for the company's first electric car, predicting that it will "set the standard for the industry." Volvo already has 10 of these cars driving around the streets of Sweden, and the company is planning on adding 90 more soon in order to extensively road-test them before the electric C30's wide release expected in 2013.

The electric C30 is reputed to be just as comfortable as the standard C30, and the battery electric car also lives up to Volvo's reputation for safety, having performed well during crash testing. The most impressive element of the new C30, however, is a fuel cell range extender for the electric car that Volvo is currently developing in conjunction with Powercell Sweden AB. The extender is made up of a fuel cell and a reformer. The reformer breaks down liquid fuel into hydrogen gas, which is then converted cleanly into electrical energy. The fuel cell range extender could allow Volvo's C30 battery electric car to travel at least 155 extra miles on a charge.

Volvo will begin testing prototypes of the electric C30 in 2012. By announcing its electric C30 and its innovative fuel cell range extender, Volvo has made it clear that it is going to be a strong contender in the electric car market.