Electric Volvo 240 for sale

In 2012 Martijn Hendriks completed his high-quality full-electric Volvo 240 conversion project. After years of driving pleasure, the car can now go to the next owner. This message is a pre-announcement for now as there are already conversations going on. As soon as the car actually becomes available ‘on the market’, I will publish it here.

At the time, it was a high-end conversion alined with trends in production electric vehicles. The car offers a basis for years of sustainable driving pleasure.

The car

The Volvo 240 GL Classic Electric is based on a rare Swedish Volvo 240 GL Classic, a well-preserved example from the unique series of the very last 240 production units, with certificate number 86. The car ran off the production line in May 1993, the last month of production of the Volvo 240 series in its 19th anniversary.

The conversion to electric

The Volvo 240 Classic Electric is already RDW approved and registered as an EV. This was in 2012 (and therefore already in the current ‘strict’ requirements). The car was developed and built in the period 2009 – 2012 with the following main principles:

• Authenticity – made as Volvo Cars could have manufactured the car itself in the mid-90s
• High quality – advanced technology, high-quality build, beautiful finish
• Safety – maximum safety in the systems for electric traction, also based on the European regulations
• Restoration – returning the entire vehicle to a new condition as much as possible
• Range and performance – a good level of performance and a range of at least 150 km
• Ease of use – suitable for everyday use
• Standards – meet standards for electric vehicles such as Mode 3 charging
• Series – the design must be suitable for any small-scale series production

The EV technology

Despite the fact that the design choices for this conversion were already made around 2011, they still comply due to the principles mentioned above. This concerns in particular the powertrain and method of integration into the Volvo 240.

The technical specification of the conversion (components) are:

• Water-cooled AC induction electric motor and inverter. 40 kW rated and approx. 75 kW peak power. Approx. 180 Nm of rated and 300 Nm of peak torque.
• Brake regeneration system through which braking energy is stored back in the batteries both on the basis of the throttle position and brake pressure. For safety reasons, regenerative braking at low temperatures is automatically switched off to prevent slippage.
• LiFePo4 Lithium-Ion battery system, 300 Volts rated, 130 Ah, total 40 kWh (32 kWh effective)^[1]. These are thermally and electrochemically very stable cells with as the downside a lower energy density than in most contemporary production electric cars.
• Advanced Battery Management System (BMS) with various integrated monitoring and security systems.
• Original M47 gearbox and pressure group retained, with lightened flywheel and custom-made steel adapter ring between electric motor and gearbox.
• To enable /simplify shifting gears, a detection of clutch usage has been implemented that temporarily deactivates the brake regeneration system.
• HD rear suspension with air adjustable shock absorbers and 14mm of springs.
• Reinforced front suspension with gas-filled bi-directional Bilstein shock absorbers and Volvo GT chassis reinforcements.
• Cardan shaft balanced and universal joints replaced in 2016
• Advanced digital display in instrument panel for reading various system data. ^[2]
• 230V two-phase AC charger (2x16A, 7kW), BMS-controlled via CAN BUS.
• Mennekes socket (built-in rear tank lid) with LED ring for charging status indication and double-secured charging cable with Mennekes plug.
• 30kW DC fast charging interface based on CHAdeMO standard^[3]. CHAdeMO socket mounted in the front bumper behind the license plate with flap mechanism.
• All car lights inside and outside the car are equipped with LED technology, with the exception of low beam and high beam.
• Volvo 240 12-Volt system integration.

^[1] Capacity concerns declaration of manufacturer of the cells when new. Due to degradation, it is likely that the usable capacity is lower.

^[2] Function out of use, readout takes place via a serial adapter and a mobile phone.

^[3] Current CHAdeMO controller may not be charging at all today’s CHAdeMO charging stations.

Availability

For now, this is a pre-announcement. Further updates will follow.