Volvo Introduces Five Fuel Car

Car manufacturers believe that a single alternative fuel cannot wipe away the dependency of the global community on petroleum products.  Volvo Cars is one of the many carmakers adhering to this philosophy.  The company has even developed a vehicle that not only runs on one or two alternative fuel but five alternative fuels. 

A prototype of this car was recently unveiled by the Swedish car manufacturer.  Called the Volvo Multi-Fuel, the vehicle is capable of running on hythane, a combination of hydrogen and methane; biomethane; compressed natural gas or CNG; bioethanol E85; and conventional gasoline. Switching between these fuels can be achieved by simply pushing a button.

The engine of the prototype is a five-cylinder 2.0-liter engine which is capable of producing 200 horsepower.  It was first unveiled as a concept at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2006. The prototype though was just unveiled more recently. 

“The whole car is optimized for high performance, driving on any of the five different fuels,” says Mats Moren, the Project Leader Engine at Volvo Car Corporation.  And since the vehicle is a Volvo, it is loaded with safety features.  Its wide choice of alternative fuel also makes the vehicle more environment-friendly.  This will allow consumers to choose which fuel will be more practical to use on the vehicle if Volvo lowers the cost of production enough for the vehicle to be mass produced and be made available to the public and the market.  “It is a first step towards a hydrogen powered society. Perhaps we can develop the system even further, to run on a higher blend in the future,” says Moren. 

The vehicle is equipped with four tanks to hold the different fuels.  One large and two smaller tanks hold the gaseous fuels which are the hythane, biomethane, and CNG.  The three tanks have a total volume of 98 liters. Another tank holds the liquid fuels which are the E85 and the conventional gasoline. “The small gaseous fuel tanks are made of steel, whereas the large tank has a durable, gas tight aluminum liner, reinforced with high performance carbon fiber composite and an exterior layer of hardened fiber-glass composite,” says Moren. 

Apart from the necessary changes made to the vehicle’s construction regarding the storage of the different fuels, the design of the engine is similar to a conventional gasoline engine.  Volvo spark plug wires and other similar components can be already found under the hood of the prototype. 

The tanks used by the vehicle are placed under the luggage compartment floor which means that it does not reduce the loading capacity of the vehicle.  Since there are gaseous and liquid fuels available for the engine, there are also two fuel fillers available - one for gaseous fuels and one for the E85 and gasoline. 

“The Multi-Fuel is turbo charged to achieve high performance on any of the five different fuel types. That makes it great fun to drive and we are very proud of its performance,” says Moren of the vehicle.  In conclusion, he added that:  “I love this concept, a turbo charged engine with high performance, low fuel consumption and low emissions. On top of that it has a brilliant tank installation and can be run on a multitude of fuels – all wrapped in one beautiful car.”