Feeling better about your cup-holder never felt so good

Meet the not to distant cousin of George Jetson’s flying saucer car. Debuted originally at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2007, Volvo launched a revolution with their concept car named: The Recharge. Competing for a slice of the hybrid demand against the giants of the Japanese manufacturer Toyota, Volvo introduced a whole new take on engine design in the next step of the automobile evolutionary ladder.

In recent years, the car industry has been looking for ways to stretch our fuel consumption, from the efficiency of our vehicles, to finding ways to cut global emissions using alternative fuels and new designs. A tooth aching campaign, coupled with added pressure from Congress and an ever-growing public demand for new and innovative ideas, the major players of the car industry are jumping on board to appease the rising number of green consumers and the reduction of reliance on foreign fuels.

Volvo has redefined the engine with its design by completely removing the transmission that is said to waste up to 20% of the engines energy and fuel consumption-a dirty little secret auto manufacturer are reluctant to mention. By cleverly removing the transmission all together, Volvo has installed a lithium-polymer battery, commonly found in Iphones and other modern conveniences. Volvo has also placed electromagnets within the wheel, which can give better maneuverability than the standard wheel and chasse and allow all those low riding enthusiast thinner wheels and lower profile since the electromagnets in the wheel take up more room that is normally customary.

A staggering 160 mpg, the Recharge is still an exciting concept car not slated for immediate production, but a positive sign of things to come. Volvo’s engineering think-tank in sunny California has been trying to transform the scope of the auto industry by changing their tune which will coincide with the shifting consumer market.  Volvo plans to wait after 2012 before it commits fully to the green market by releasing a plug in hybrid based on the Volvo Recharge concept with a projected 60 mile-per-charge battery.