2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain Detailed: 400 hp and 59 MPGe

These are adventurous times for Volvo, with a mass migration of all of its passenger cars to a new Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), and a new generation of four-cylinder engines powering all of them. At the same time, Volvo is breaking into new segments, two of which‘performance SUVs and plug-in hybrid SUVs‘it plans to cover with one vehicle, the 2016 XC90 T8, some additional details on which have just been released.
The XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid powertrain‘which we first discussed here‘starts with a modified version of the most potent of Volvo”s 2.0-liter Drive-E four-cylinder gas engines, which utilizes both a supercharger and a turbocharger for totals of 318 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque. A small motor-generator is sandwiched between the engine and the eight-speed automatic transmission and helps provide an extra 46 horsepower and 110 lb-ft of torque to the front wheels when needed. The rear wheels are powered by a second, more powerful electric motor delivering 82 horses and 177 lb-ft.
Total system output stands at 400 hp and 472 lb-ft of torque, and Volvo claims that there”s enough grunt to get the SUV to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, about a second quicker than the non-hybrid T6 (which is said to be lighter by a whopping 550 pounds). Okay, so it”s not quite a LaFerrari, but it”s not bad for a 2.5-ton crossover. Meanwhile, Volvo predicts that EPA fuel economy in the T8”s “Hybrid“ mode will come in at 59 MPGe.

Packaged into the XC90”s central tunnel is a 96-cell, 9.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack; Volvo says its juice can propel the big seven-seater for up to 25 miles on electrons alone using the rear electric motor, although the gas engine will step in or when speeds exceed 75 mph. Volvo claims that recharge times can vary from 2.5 ­to six hours using a 230-volt outlet or six to 12 hours using a 110-volt outlet depending on the amperage of the circuit.
Not surprisingly, the T8”s default drive mode is Hybrid, in the interest of high fuel economy; the driver can also select pure electric and full-time all-wheel drive on demand. A Power mode engages the electric motors immediately off the line for the sprightliest acceleration, while a Save mode allows the battery to remain at a high state of charge in the event one needs to save the electrons for later use, say, in a no-emissions urban zone. And like most other plug-in vehicles, the XC90 T8 allows drivers to pre-condition the cabin and control the charging from a smartphone app.

12.12.2014
ID:1369

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