• By Jeremy Allston
• Published 10/30/2012

With the summer fading into autumn very quickly, it certainly won’t be long before the temperatures plummet further and we’re scraping ice off our windscreens. Luckily, if you’re the proud owner of the brilliant little Volvo sports coupe – the C30 – you can rest assured that your car won’t let you down.

The Volvo C30 Electric has been exposed to rough winter conditions in order to ensure that the battery-powered car runs smoothly in temperatures as low as -20° Celsius.

Volvo Cars’ requirements on the C30 Electric are just as stringent as on all other Volvo models and the battery-powered car is exposed to the same test regime. On top of this, several new test methods have been developed for the electric vehicles. All in all, over 200 different tests have been performed.

“We must ensure that the C30 Electric performs as intended when driving, parking and charging in a variety of conditions, from normal to very cold or hot. Northern Sweden is the perfect place to do sub-zero temperature

testing,” says Lennart Stegland, director of Volvo Cars’ Special Vehicles.

The C30 Electric has a innovative solution that makes it possible to get comfortable heating in cold winter conditions without compromising the battery driving range.

Climate control in the passenger compartment takes place via a bio-ethanol powered heater fitted in all cars. The car’s ethanol tank can carry 14.5 litres of bio-ethanol.

It is also possible to run the climate unit on electricity from the batteries. In electric mode an immersion heater warms up the coolant in the climate unit.

“The driver can program and control the climate unit to suit the trip. Ethanol is the default mode that is used when the battery capacity is needed for driving, extending mobility to its maximum. However, on shorter distances electricity can be used to power the climate system,” explains Lennart Stegland.

About the Author : Jeremy Allston is writing about the Volvo sports coupe.