The Volvo ECC (Environmental Concept Car) was an executive luxury

concept car A concept car (also known as a concept vehicle, show vehicle or prototype) is a car made to showcase new styling and/or new technology. They are often exhibited at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or ...

built by

Volvo The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...

in 1992. It was a design exercise in using recycled material and hybrid technology. It was powered by a

hybrid electric A hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) is a type of hybrid vehicle that combines a conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) system with an electric propulsion system (hybrid vehicle drivetrain). The presence of the electric powertrain is intended ...

and

gas turbine A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a type of continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas generator or core) and are, in the directio ...

engine. Many of its lines and general styling were used as inspiration for the first generation

Volvo S80 The Volvo S80 is an executive car produced by the Swedish manufacturer Volvo Cars from 1998 to 2016 across two generations. It took the place of the rear-wheel-drive S90 as Volvo's flagship sedan. The first generation (1998–2006) was made a ...

. The ECC set a new design language for future Volvo models from the S80 onwards, the most obvious styling feature being the stepped waistline, which was inspired by the similar feature on the 200 Series, whilst retaining some of the angular elements from the 700/900 ranges. The Volvo ECC was built on the Volvo P80 platform. In contrast to most production hybrids, which use a gasoline piston engine to provide additional acceleration and to recharge the battery storage, the Volvo ECC used a gas turbine engine to drive the generator for recharging. This type of engine has a higher thermodynamic efficiency than the conventional internal combustion engine with pistons. Also in Volvo's design, the fuel is evaporated and mixed with air before ignition. This provides a very low NOx emission. The driver can also switch between gas turbine electric and hybrid by switches on the dashboard. The maximum power available was , with 76 available for continuous use. It had a drag coefficient of 0.23. With the vehicle weighing approximately more than a conventional Volvo 850, acceleration from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) took 23 seconds in EV mode and 12.5 seconds with the turbine engaged. Top speed was . The vehicle's range on batteries alone was , and when combined with a full tank of fuel for the turbine, about . The Volvo ECC was debuted at a time when California was seeking Zero Pollution Vehicles (ZPV). With its gas turbine, the Volvo ECC was not a zero-emissions vehicle, and hence did not meet the needs of the time. With the focus now shifted away from true

zero-emissions vehicle A zero-emission vehicle, or ZEV, is a vehicle that does not emit exhaust gas or other pollutants from the onboard source of power. The California definition also adds that this includes under any and all possible operational modes and conditions ...

s, many of the concepts tested in the ECC may prove of value in future concept and production vehicles. Gas turbine engine in the Volvo ECC

References

External links

Trafikmagasinet visar Volvo ECCOm Volvo ECC på Volvocars.comVolvo Hybrid Environmental Concept Car
Volvo C30 ReCharge Concept
Om Volvo ReCharge Concept diesel på Volvocars NewsroomOm Volvo ReCharge Concept flexifuel på Volvocars Newsroom
{{DEFAULTSORT:Volvo Ecc ECC Cars powered by gas turbines Partial zero-emissions vehicles Front-wheel-drive vehicles Hybrid electric cars