Jeremy Bass•18 Jul 2013
NEWS
Volvo's solar charging tent unveiled
Italian design competition yields a radical winner – but it remains a concept onlyVolvo has revealed a radical accessory for EVs and plug-ins with its “Pure Tension” portable solar charging “pavilion”.
Fashioned from carbon fibre rods and tensioned high-density polyethylene mesh (aka HDPE –the hardy outdoor plastic material used in gutter-guard) embedded with thin-film photovoltaic cells, the collapsible device fits in the boot when it’s not in use.
Revealed in sneak-peek shots floating like a strange sea-creature over a rendered V60, it won Volvo Car Italia’s Switch to Pure Volvo Pavilion Design competition as a joint project from design and construction firms Synthesis Design + Architecture, Buro Happold and Fabric Images.
Green car site treehugger.com reports the device is expected to make its public debut with the Rome launch of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid in September.
Volvo and its designers aren’t making any power metrics available, with all saying the pavilion will remain a concept only for the foreseeable future.
The plug-in V60’s drivetrain formula starts with the established 160kW 2.4-litre D5 diesel up front and adds a 50kW electric motor on the rear axle. It draws its power from an 11.2kWh Li-ion battery mounted on top of the diesel tank, which has been reduced in capacity from 70 to 45 litres.
The car’s claimed pure-electric range of 50km sets it up for the vast majority of European commuters to conduct their daily lives in zero-emissions mode. For longer trips, with the car rated at just 1.8L/100km (155mpg NEDC), even that reduced sized tank gives it up to 900km.
Delivering engine torque through a six-speed auto transmission with switchable manual, the combination effectively gives the V60 on-demand AWD. Volvo claims 6.1 seconds on the 0-100km/h sprint.
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Written byJeremy Bass
Our team of independent expert car reviewers and journalists
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