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Environment-friendly Concept Car from Volvo: The XC60 Concept
Volvo has been producing safety centered cars for the past 80 years and the company’s name is synonymous with road safety and safety systems integrated into their cars. And today, the company is making another step towards providing cars safe not only for the occupants but also for the environment.
The step is in the form of their concept car which is the Volvo XC60 that will use bio-ethanol for fuel to minimize the fossil carbon dioxide which is heavily damaging to the environment. The concept shows that harmful emissions are reduced by 80 per cent than those engines using gasoline only for fuel. This eco-friendly fuel will not only be good for the environment but using it will also not decrease the car’s performance.
Today, the manufacturer is already offering nine models with the FlexiFuel alternative powered by ethanol on selected European markets. The available models with this capability are the Volvo C30, the S40, and the V50 and their trim packages. And the company is aiming to add to that their Volvo XC60 Concept Car, though it is still a concept, there is good reason to anticipate a mass produced version of this car. The concept vehicle’s powerplant is a six-cylinder, 3.2 liter bio-ethanol engine which can give out 265 horsepower and 251 lb-ft of torque. All these power is capable enough to drive this car through its competitor if it will be put into production.
The car’s in-line engine is the same petrol engine used by the company on their luxury vehicle the S80 in 2006 but designed to take E85 fuel which is 85 per cent bio-ethanol and 15 per cent gasoline. The result is lower emissions and same high performance that buyers expect from a Volvo. Add to that optimized engine the different components like its Volvo exhaust parts that further cleans the gas emitted by the car and you have a car that is a combination of high performance and eco-friendly design.
The use of the E85 as its fuel does not diminish the engine’s capability; this can be seen on the car’s remarkable acceleration. The car can reach 60 miles per hour from a standstill in 8.2 seconds and can attain speed as fast as 143 mph.
The possibility of cars such as this looks good thanks to the increasing number of plants producing ethanol for use as fuel. Not only that, the step towards protecting the environment is one of the major concerns of all governments globally so a mass produced green car will be much welcomed. Car manufacturers can expect a large buyer base for cars such as this because of the fuels lower price than the non-renewable fossil fuels. Add to that the performance level of the cars using cleaner fuel and you will have a product that will surely receive much praise and awards and achieve sales record.
About the Author: Growing up with three brothers, Natalie Anderson became exposed early to the world of automobiles. This 29-year-old account manager now dreams of having her very own top-of-the-line vintage car.
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