XC60 Phev's

[anonymous-user]

EC2 said:

yellowbentines said:

EC2 said:

Volvo tend not to explain how the PHEV four wheel drive system works but it is RWD only in electric only mode. The petrol engine is FWD only so it is a very strange set up compared with some of the more recently plug in hybrids. Still lovely cars but worth thinking about in low grip driving situations.

There's an interesting video from a guy in the USA who has taken his in some pretty extreme situations, and touches on this.

Essentially you have 2 separate power sources each powering a different axle, so in low grip situations the system can actually work better than some open diff awd systems which will spin power away more easily if one of the 4 wheels are spinning. With the Volvo system, as each axle has it's own independent power source you can end up with better grip/traction.

I'm no expert but it sounded like logical reasoning to me.

That would be interesting to see. For me the best 4WD vehicles I have owned were the Torsten Audi Quattros which used to be permanently engaged with a 50:50 torque split. Amazing traction.

Hopefully this works - https://youtu.be/rwbNNCvzB8U?feature=shared

He has a few videos on his channel, and has done quite a bit of overlanding in the USA in a T8 XC60. It's no Toyota Land Cruiser but he gets a lot further off the tarmac than I'd be brave enough to go with nothing more than some chunky tyres.

[EC2]

yellowbentines said:

EC2 said:

yellowbentines said:

EC2 said:

Volvo tend not to explain how the PHEV four wheel drive system works but it is RWD only in electric only mode. The petrol engine is FWD only so it is a very strange set up compared with some of the more recently plug in hybrids. Still lovely cars but worth thinking about in low grip driving situations.

There's an interesting video from a guy in the USA who has taken his in some pretty extreme situations, and touches on this.

Essentially you have 2 separate power sources each powering a different axle, so in low grip situations the system can actually work better than some open diff awd systems which will spin power away more easily if one of the 4 wheels are spinning. With the Volvo system, as each axle has it's own independent power source you can end up with better grip/traction.

I'm no expert but it sounded like logical reasoning to me.

That would be interesting to see. For me the best 4WD vehicles I have owned were the Torsten Audi Quattros which used to be permanently engaged with a 50:50 torque split. Amazing traction.

Hopefully this works - https://youtu.be/rwbNNCvzB8U?feature=shared

He has a few videos on his channel, and has done quite a bit of overlanding in the USA in a T8 XC60. It's no Toyota Land Cruiser but he gets a lot further off the tarmac than I'd be brave enough to go with nothing more than some chunky tyres.

Interesting and impressive, thank you. I do wonder if new 4x4 PHEVs will use this system or the more traditional one as they are launched over the next couple of years (nothing with emissions over 100g/KM will likely exist soon enough). Obviously all irrelevant with an electric motor on each wheel in BEVs.