2011 Volvo C30 DRIVe

The Volvo C30 Electric – the automaker's most serious contender in the electric car space that will enter production in 2011. The C30 Electric wins the everyday driving coupe award, hands down.

Stegland said that the C30 Electric contains a lot of technology from previous prototypes. I think 100 miles is a good range. In practical life, that will deliver about 80 miles. If you do very careful driving, you can get 120 miles, easy. The 24 kWh battery pack comes from EnerDel.

A limited production run of electrified C30's that will head out to test fleets in Europe, China and the U.S. early next year. The Volvo C30 does have a slight creep, like an automatic, and it feels very much like a normal car.

2011 C30 DRIVe has a unique feature: an ethanol heater. Every electric C30 will include one of these because, "in tough winter conditions – below -10 degrees – you need an extra heater. This is a very logical way to [provide that heat]." The heater itself is small, about the size of a chainsaw motor. If necessary, Volvo can install a heater that burns standard gasoline. The heater uses less than one liter per hour and the system has a 15-liter tank. That should provide around 15-20 hours of use.