Get to Know Volvo Hybrid and Electric Vehicles in Fife

More and more auto manufacturers are producing hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles. These have the advantage of reducing or eliminating gas consumption. The first EVs and hybrids tended to be so expensive that their increased price outweighed any gas savings. Moreover, their performance was worse than a traditional engine unless you were buying a sports car.

However, recent years have seen the development of superior electric motors with better performance and lower base pricing. Volvo is a good example of such development-- many of their vehicles now come with a hybrid motor that has a great driving experience and provides real savings throughout the car or SUV's lifetime. On this page, Tacoma and Puyallup drivers can learn what you need to know about owning a hybrid and what Volvo's offerings are.

Key Facts about Hybrids

Hybrid and electric vehicles need their engines to be charged at home. The larger their onboard battery is, the farther they can go, but the longer they take to charge. There are two levels of charging technology. For the slower Level 1 charging, Federal Way drivers can usually charge the car with just a basic household 120-volt outlet. As long as not much else is connected to that circuit, the car will charge up to around five miles of range per hour.

You can charge much faster with Level 2 charging, which needs a 240-volt outlet and a special installation. In most cases, this is something an electrician can do for you at a low cost. If you have an older home, this might require more electrical work and potentially getting permits to make the installation. Bellevue drivers will need to know about the availability of other chargers in your local area in case you need them, but most people just charge their car overnight.

The difference between an electric vehicle and a hybrid is that a hybrid has both an electric motor and a combustion engine, and an EV has only an electric motor. That means it doesn't use gas at all. The disadvantage is that it can only refuel at charging stations, which are significantly less common than gas stations. Additionally, EVs are generally their own separate model, while hybrids can be a modification or option of a mainstream model.

Volvo's Hybrids and EVs

Instead of building dedicated hybrid models, Volvo's strategy is to add hybrid motors as an option for just about all of their models, including the new XC60 Hybrid and XC90 Hybrid. In fact, to keep things simple, Volvo created just one hybrid engine that it calls the T8, and it makes the T8 available as an engine choice across their lineup. The T8 is a powerful engine rated for a total of 400 horsepower. In smaller vehicles like cars, that's a huge amount of power under the hood, and even in SUVs, the T8 is usually one of the most powerful choices.

By making the top engine a hybrid, Volvo has cleverly avoided the problem of having the largest and most powerful engine use the most gas, so now the engine with the most power and best efficiency is the same. The specific mileage that you get from the T8 will depend on which Volvo you buy. The larger the vehicle, the heavier it will be, and that translates into lower fuel efficiency.

Ready to Test Drive a Volvo Hybrid?

If you want to finance a hybrid vehicle, a new Volvo makes a great choice because it's so easy to turn one of their luxury cars or SUVs into a hybrid version. It will get great performance as well as fuel efficiency.