1990 Volvo 760 Base Sedan 4-door 2.3l on 2040-cars

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Volvo finds a way to turn body panels into batteries [w/video]

One of the problems with designing an electric vehicle is figuring out where to fit the battery pack. Volvo - as a part of a European Union research project - is working on a way around this issue by replacing standard parts with lightweight components that double as batteries on both conventional and plug-in vehicles. The image above shows one such piece on a Volvo S80. While looking like nothing more than a carbon fiber plenum cover, the piece is actually a battery pack that can store and supply enough energy for the car's entire 12-volt power system.
The parts are made by sandwiching super capacitors (which can charge faster than standard batteries) in between layers of carbon fiber. They can then be formed to replace numerous body panels such as the decklid, roof or door panels. Volvo says that the replacing the body panels and batteries with these nano batteries can help reduce the vehicle's weight by as much as 15 percent. It has taken more than three years just to design the batteries, so there's no telling when, or if, we'll ever see this technology used on a production vehicle. Scroll down for a video and press release on Volvo's innovative battery technology.

2023 Volvo S60 and V60 get small updates

The Volvo S60 sedan and V60 wagon have been updated for the 2023 model year, their mid-life refresh. We don't know the specifics of how our U.S.-market models will be updated, a Volvo spokesperson telling Car and Driver that information comes this spring. We can look to Europe for the broad strokes, however, and it appears we won't have to look too long nor too hard. The S60 sedan hasn't changed in front, whereas the V60 gets a revised lower front fascia with slightly wider intakes accented by blades of chrome garnish, and a center intake that's a wee bit taller than on the current model. In back, both cars hide their tailpipes. There will be at least one new wheel option as well, six-spoke jobs cribbing from the aero rims designed for the XC40 Recharge. And that's all we have to say about that.  Inside, Google's Android Automotive infotainment software continues its propagation throughout the Volvo lineup, bringing the same functionality to the 9-inch display that we've sampled in a few other Swedish offerings so far.   We only get the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the United States, aided by 48-volt mild-hybrid (an update for 2022) or plug-in-hybrid electrical assistance depending on trim for the S60, while the V60 wagon — not the lifted V60 Cross Country — is only sold as the Recharge Polestar Engineered in the United States. Don't expect any deviations on the ICE side, but the PHEV trims benefit from a larger battery and more powerful motor.  In Europe, the B3 and B4 trims will enjoy a new seven-speed dual-clutch. We don't expect that gearbox to be headed our way. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. What makes the Volvo V60 Cross Country a Cross Country | Autoblog

The next-generation wearable will be your car

This year's CES has had a heavy emphasis on the class of device known as the "wearable" – think about the Apple Watch, or Fitbit, if that's helpful. These devices usually piggyback off of a smartphone's hardware or some other data connection and utilize various onboard sensors and feedback devices to interact with the wearer. In the case of the Fitbit, it's health tracking through sensors that monitor your pulse and movement; for the Apple Watch and similar devices, it's all that and some more. Manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality. As evidenced by Volvo's newly announced tie-up with the Microsoft Band 2 fitness tracking wearable, car manufacturers are starting to explore how wearable devices will help drivers. The On Call app brings voice commands, spoken into the Band 2, into the mix. It'll allow you to pass an address from your smartphone's agenda right to your Volvo's nav system, or to preheat your car. Eventually, Volvo would like your car to learn things about your routines, and communicate back to you – or even, improvise to help you wake up earlier to avoid that traffic that might make you late. Do you need to buy a device, like the $249 Band 2, and always wear it to have these sorts of interactions with your car? Despite the emphasis on wearables, CES 2016 has also given us a glimmer of a vehicle future that cuts out the wearable middleman entirely. Take Audi's new Fit Driver project. The goal is to reduce driver stress levels, prevent driver fatigue, and provide a relaxing interior environment by adjusting cabin elements like seat massage, climate control, and even the interior lighting. While it focuses on a wearable device to monitor heart rate and skin temperature, the Audi itself will use on-board sensors to examine driving style and breathing rate as well as external conditions – the weather, traffic, that sort of thing. Could the seats measure skin temperature? Could the seatbelt measure heart rate? Seems like Audi might not need the wearable at all – the car's already doing most of the work. Whether there's a device on a driver's wrist or not, manufacturers seem to be developing a consensus that vehicles should be taking on some of a wearable's functionality.