How the Volvo 3CC Works

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Introduction to How the Volvo 3CC Works

Sustainable mobility: It's one of today's biggest environmental topics. So, what is it? It's the ability to travel affordably and efficiently on a daily basis without harming the health of the environment or society.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
Volvo 3CC concept car

Enter the Volvo 3CC, Volvo's newest concept car. The engineers and designers at the Volvo Monitoring and Concept Center in California produced the Volvo 3CC with one goal in mind: to deliver fuel efficiency, versatility, comfort and safety in a car that's exciting both to look at and to drive. The car was unveiled to the automotive industry at the 2004 Michelin Challenge Bibendum and to the public at the 2005 North American International Auto Show, and it received rave reviews at both venues.

In this article, we'll take a look at how Volvo managed to combine fuel efficiency, sportiness, style, comfort and safety in a car as compact as the 3CC. We'll also explore how this car may influence future automobiles.

Fuel Efficiency

You can't get much more fuel efficient than the 3CC: The car is electric. Its 80-kilowatt AC electric motor is powered by 3,000 lithium-ion batteries similar to those used in laptop computers and cell phones. The Volvo's lithium-ion batteries, however, are cylindrical, making them more similar in shape to traditional batteries than to computer and phone batteries. The cylindrical design allows air to circulate around the batteries to cool them. Keeping the batteries cool is important, especially since they are housed within the car's double-layer floor to keep them out of the way.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The Volvo 3CC's electric motor runs off of lithium-ion batteries housed within the car's floor.

To complement the car's electric power train, the Volvo 3CC has a regenerative braking system. This type of braking system capitalizes on the fact that electric motors generate electricity when reversed. The regenerative braking system in an electric car uses this characteristic to recover some of the heat energy produced when the car's brakes are applied. While going forward, the car's electric motor pulls energy from the batteries to propel the car. When the motor is reversed during braking, it acts as a generator to return energy to the car's batteries. In the Volvo 3CC, this process allows the car to recapture 20 percent of the power produced by the batteries.

The car's electric power train allows it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph (97 kph) in 10 seconds, and it has a maximum cruising speed of 85 mph. Through it all, the electric motor is practically silent. Aided by the power recaptured by the regenerative braking system, the car can go 180 miles (290) on a single charge in ideal conditions. All of this means that the Volvo 3CC can perform much like a traditional car but with zero emissions.

Sports-car Performance

At 153.5 inches (3.9 meters) long, 64 inches (1.6 meters) wide and 52 inches (1.3 meters) high, the Volvo 3CC is about the size of a traditional two-seater sports car -- and a sports car is what the engineers at Volvo had in mind when they designed the 3CC. Like a Formula 1 race car, the Volvo 3CC's one-piece outer shell is made of carbon fiber, which is 50 percent lighter than steel. This aerodynamic, lightweight shell helps to increase the speed and range of the car.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The compact Volvo 3CC is about the size of a two-seater sports car (shown here in comparison with the Volvo S80).

The Volvo 3CC has front-wheel drive and double-wishbone front and rear suspension. These characteristics, combined with the car's low center of gravity, are designed to enhance the car's driving performance. To further improve performance and handling, Volvo equipped the 3CC with Michelin Pilot Sport 215/45/ZR18 tires, which are normally found on ultra high-performance sports cars.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The 3CC rides on Michelin Pilot Sport 215/45/ZR18 tires.

Interior: Style and Comfort

The most noticeable feature of the Volvo 3CC is its unique two-plus-one configuration. This design provides seating for two adults in the front and seating for one adult or two children in the rear. The seating arrangement in the 3CC allows for increased communication between all of the car's occupants. It also provides the occupants with comfort and space comparable to that of a larger car.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The Volvo 3CC's two-plus-one configuration provides room for two adults in the front and either one adult or two children in the rear.

The driver and passengers of the Volvo 3CC enter the vehicle through the car's gull-wing doors. These doors open upward so that they are not in the way when getting into or out of the car. Ease and comfort are key in the design of this car:

The pedals are adjustable.
The dash panel slides forward when the doors are opened, allowing easy access for the driver and front passenger.
The seats slide forward and backward, allowing easy access for the rear passenger(s).

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The gull-wing doors of the Volvo 3CC swing upward to make getting into and out of the car easier.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC

Although the Volvo 3CC is a compact car, its interior has been designed to feel spacious and open. Three transparent roof panels bring light into the car and provide for increased visibility.

The 3CC's instrument panel has been designed to be both sleek and ergonomic. All of the controls are located within the same plane, meaning that the driver can see all controls with one sweep of the eye across the dashboard. The panel also uses proximity sensors rather than traditional switches and knobs. The driver can control the lights, climate and stereo by waving a finger within 5 mm of the controls.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The instrument panel of the Volvo 3CC uses proximity sensors rather than knobs and switches.

On top of ergonomics and high-tech comfort, the 3CC also incorporates the feature Volvo is best known for: advanced safety.

Safety

Providing crash safety in a small, lightweight car is a challenge, so Volvo created a unique safety system for its newest concept car. Volvo calls it the Safety Ride-Down Concept.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The instrument panel, steering column and seats in the 3CC slide forward in the event of an accident to absorb shock.

In the event of an accident, the 3CC's instrument panel, steering column and seats move forward almost 8 inches. This movement acts like an interior crumple zone, preventing the driver and passenger from being thrown against a stationary object. It's also a smart system, with shock absorbers that adjust the speed at which the seats cover that 8 inches based on the weight of the car's occupants.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The Safety Ride-Down System activates in the event of a crash that's strong enough to deploy the car's air bags.

The 3CC also employs safety devices like four-point-harness seatbelts and, of course, multiple air bags.

An Award-Winning Concept

The automotive industry seems to think that Volvo is on the right track with its 3CC concept. The car received praise when it was unveiled in October 2004 at the Michelin Challenge Bibendum, the world's premiere forum on sustainable mobility. The purpose of the Challenge Bibendum is to evaluate technological advances in the field of environmentally friendly vehicles. At the 2004 challenge, Volvo's 3CC walked away with five gold medals and the overall prize for best prototype design.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC
The Volvo 3CC won the overall prize for best design at the 2004 Michelin Challenge Bibendum.

The down side is that the cost of lithium-ion batteries makes the Volvo 3CC too expensive to be produced as a mass-market automobile. However, bits and pieces of the 3CC's technology and design may show up in other Volvo cars in the years ahead. In 2006, Volvo is planning the release of the C30, which, like the 3CC, is a small, three-door hatchback.

According to Volvo, the double-floor design of the 3CC can be adapted for other types of power trains, including gas, diesel, biogas and hybrid electric. So this design may show up again in Volvo concept cars or even in future production vehicles.

Photo courtesy Volvo Cars of North America, LLC

For more information on the Volvo 3CC, other Volvo concept cars and electric vehicles, check out the links on the following page.

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