06 September 2008

Must...Have....Volvo ReCharge Concept Car

"Picture a gasoline-electric hybrid that's more electric than gasoline. The Volvo ReCharge Concept is just that. Unlike traditional parallel hybrids, which primarily employ internal-combustion engines and electric motors working in tandem, the ReCharge (derived from the sharp new C30 coupe). Is a plug-in serial hybrid — that is to say, there is no mechanical connection between the electric motor drive system and the 1.6-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. Four in-wheel motors will carry the car up to 100 km (62 miles) on a single charge of the trunk-mounted lithium-polymer batteries (charged from a standard household outlet and boasting, Volvo claims, a life expectancy longer than the car itself). Only when the batteries are fully drained does the engine fire up, spinning a generator which provides juice to the electric motors and recharges the battery. Brilliant."

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