Volvo C30 Electric hits assembly line

Volvo has begun production of the C30 Electric. The fully electric version of the C30 hatchback, 50 examples of which have been undergoing tests since late 2010, will be built at the Swedish carmaker’s Ghent factory, while installation of components including the electric motor and batteries will be done at the Göteborg facility. The electric hatch can be recharged from a regular household power socket, with a full recharge taking just about seven hours, which is good for a driving range of 150km. The car does 0-50kph in 4.0 seconds and goes on to a top speed of 130kph. Volvo plans to make about 250 by end of 2012, but will increase the production run if there’s more demand than expected.