Volvo Announces That the Electric C30 Can Be Recharged in 1.5 Hours

The first electric vehicle from the partnership between Volvo and Siemens, the C30 electric vehicle will arrive this summer in Europe.

Volvo C30

The first electric vehicle from the partnership between Volvo and Siemens, the C30 electric vehicle will arrive this summer in Europe. Beginning summer 2013, European leasing customers will drive and evaluate an upgraded demo fleet of 100 Volvo C30 fully electric cars. Volvo has also announced that the electrically-powered C30 will reach 0-43 mph in 5.9 seconds and can be full recharged in only 1.5 hours.
The new 22 kW fast-charger is the world’s first on-board charger that operates on a three-phase supply and is small enough to be fitted in an electric car. Using a three-phase outlet, a charge takes 1.5 hours, while an ordinary single-phase household outlet takes 8-10 hours.

Volvo C30

“Adding the innovative fast charging solution will radically improve the time and mileage for the daily usage of the car. This will drastically improve the cost of ownership since the customer will now be able to drive many low cost kilometres per day. A quick 10-minute plug-in adds power for another 20 kilometres of driving,” says Lennart Stegland, Vice President Electric Propulsion Systems, Volvo Car Group.

The C30 electric vehicle is powered by a 120 horsepower Siemens electric motor. Siemens will also be the main supplier of electric propulsion powertrain components for Volvo’s upcoming Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) platform, which enables sophisticated electrification at all levels – from different kinds of hybrids to pure electric drive