A new fast-charging device from
Swedish carmaker Volvo can replenish the batteries in the company's
experimental C30 all-electric in just 90 minutes, according to the U.S.
motor magazine Automobile, based in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The charger addresses one of the main bugbears with electric cars,
which suffer from lengthy home recharging times - typically overnight
between four and 10 hours for a conventional battery pack. Japanese
maker Nissan says its Leaf saloon needs to be plugged into a standard
220-volt mains socket for anything up 20 hours before the batteries
are fully refilled.
Volvo claims that the new 440-volt, three-phase fast-charger is so
powerful that 30 minutes of charge are enough to invigorate the
batteries in its electric C30 for a journey of some 50 miles. The
Swedish carmaker was taken over by Chinese manufacturer Geely in
2010.
Volvo plans to install the new fast-charger for further trials
with the C30 electric. Some 250 of the experimental C30 are in use
across Europe and China. The car features an electric motor and a
lithium-ion battery pack.
The fast-charger is designed primarily for owners who want to "top
up" the battery pack with electricity a few times a day. It helps
cure a technical malady which Volvo vice president of electric
propulsion systems Lennart Stegland referred to as "range anxiety."
