Sweden Pushes For Plug-in Hybrid Cars

Sweden is working to expand on its own research and development of plug-in cars by investing $40 million into reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The Swedish State and the Swedish Energy Agency will be working with Volvo, SAAB, energy company Vattenfall, and ETC Battery and FuelCells Sweden to develop the next generation of hybrid cars.

The delegates from the Swedish automotive industry will be meeting at the Advanced Automotive Battery and Ultracapacitor Conference and Symposia in Tampa, Florida on May 12-16.

Fredrik Arp, president and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation, said: "I see this project as a positive further development of sustainable personal transport. We have a unique opportunity to take the lead when it comes to innovations for advanced green-car technology," he said.

"Within the next decade, electric vehicles are going to be needed if we are to meet forthcoming CO2 legislation," Arp added.

The Swedish delegation will be showing off their Swedish Hybrid Vehicle Centre (SHC) located at Chalmers University of Technology. Volvo, a subsidiary of Ford, announced the hybrid research center in Goteberg back in June of 2006.

"Sweden can be a world leader when it comes to creating the solutions needed to adapt means of transport - solutions that are now in demand throughout the rest of the world," said Andreas Carlgren, Sweden's minister for the environment.

Photo from flickr by Hector Melo A.