Volvo is increasing the production of its V60 Plug-In Hybrid as it gets ready to meet the early 1000 orders for the car. Volvo is set to increase the production and have successfully integrated the production of the Volvo V60 Plug-in Hybrid, considered as the world’s first diesel plug-in hybrid, on the same production line as the regular powered V60, V70, XC70, S80 and XC90 models at its Torslanda plant in Gothenburg.
The production integration is considered a remarkable feat considering that the plug-in hybrid technology consists of two complete drive trains and a battery that offers a range of up to 32 miles on pure electric power.
Peter Mertens, Volvo’s Senior Vice President Research and Development, remarked that the carmaker is the first in the auto industry to integrate a plug-in hybrid in an established production flow together with other car models. Mertens noted that the integration in the standard production flow gives the plug-in hybrid consumer the option to select in principle all alternatives available for the standard V60.
The final assembly line was rebuilt and modified since the V60 Plug-in Hybrid requires additional equipment and systems. This adaption makes it possible to seamlessly integrate the assembly of over 300 more parts of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid compared to a regular unit. Mertens said that the 11.2 kWh lithium-type battery is the single most complex system in the V60 Plug-in Hybrid. He noted that the precision manoeuvre to place the battery there is an excellent example of the state-of-the-art assembly process.
