In recent years the automobile has become synonymous with environmental damage. Campaign after campaign urges us to forego the wheel for public transport and partake in car-sharing schemes with our neighbours, our friends, and even complete strangers.
And yet the eco-friendly, electrically operated car currently available to consumers is a rare thing to see on Britain’s roads.
Consumers want to go green (organic food sales are at an all time high and more of us recycle than ever before). But was a consumer purchase ever more of an image statement than that of the purchase of a car? Many car owners demand style, prestige and comfort from their four-wheeled friend. Will they be forced to choose between style and eco-friendliness?
So, the gauntlet has been thrown down before car manufacturers to design a vehicle which meets the style demands of today’s consumer AND meets higher efficiency standards. The world’s car consumer market is becoming more open to new concepts on issues such as the environment, but solutions must be functional, cool, and smart.
This is the thinking behind the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Centre think-tank based in California. “We want to add emotional value to people’s lives by offering an environmentally compatible car,” says Vice President Lars Erik Lundin, “[But] we want to connect in a positive way with consumers so that they say ‘I want to be seen in this car’.”
Volvo’s current answer to this brief is the 3CC, a sleek, tapered, aerodynamic concept car, undoubtedly top notch in terms of style, and brilliantly conceived in terms of eco-friendliness.
It has the dimensions of a classic two-seater sports car, but a unique rear seat solution provides room for up to four passengers. Its powerful electric powertrain can propel the 3CC up to 180 miles without emitting a single molecule of CO2, and its dashboard and other parts are made from renewable materials, such as hemp, jute, rapeseed and soya. “We are accelerating into the fast lane of the green auto revolution by taking key steps today towards seeing drivers and passengers sitting in Volvo cars with ‘hard’ components such as dashboards and ceilings made of flax and cellulose rather than petroleum-based polymers, and enjoying comfortable seats using natural fiber and soya-based foam fillings,” says Katarina Sundqvist of Volvo Cars R&D vehicle engineering department.
“Not only are natural fibers such as sisal, hemp, jute and flax a renewable, sustainable resource, but bio-fibers also reduce both the weight of a car and the cost of materials,” says Anders Högström of Volvo Cars interior and climate engineering strategy department. “Replacing glass fiber with lower density natural fiber can slash the weight of material used in a car by up to 30% of the material replaced – contributing to lower fuel consumption and less pollution.” The bio-based materials also give improved safety because natural fibers absorb energy extremely efficiently in the event of side collisions and do not crack or splinter.
Will such concept cars ever become a roadworthy reality? Certainly, believe Volvo, which anticipates such designs being in production by 2020. “We see the Volvo 3CC as a functional demonstrator from which clean, safe and efficient vehicles can be derived in the future,” says Volvo Car Corporation spokesman Lex Kerssemakers, Senior Vice President Brand, Product & Business Strategy.
To find out more about green motoring visit Volvo Cars or to read more about the 3CC concept see the feature on 4Car.
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