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Volvo adding 48-volt hybrid powertrains to several vehicles in its lineup

Called B5 and B6, they'll offer a slight improvement in fuel economy, but every little bit helps

Matthew Guy
Aug 04, 2021  •  August 5, 2021  •  2 minute read  •  Join the conversation
XC60 Inscription, in Pine Grey metallic

When groups of Swedish engineers aren’t busy eating pickled herring and enjoying wintertime darkness at noon, they tend to engineer some dandy vehicles. The crew at Volvo is set to introduce a series of 48-volt hybrid powertrains to a range of their cars, including the popular XC60 crossover.

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It’s all in a bid to boost fuel economy, of course, not to mention wean customers off the teat of Big Oil. According to EPA filings in America, 2022 models of the S60 and S90 sedans, plus the XC60 crossover and V90 Cross Country, will inherit an electrified powertrain that is already offered in other markets.

The 2.0L inline-four-cylinder gasoline engine remains but will be joined by an electric motor. They will be referred to with B5 and B6 names, in contrast to the current T5 and T6 monikers for the non-hybrid cars currently on sale.

According to specs laid out for this power team that’s already available across the pond, the B5 engine itself is good for 250 horsepower, while the electric motor can chip in another 10 kW (13 hp). The B6 is rated for 300 ponies of gasoline grunt plus what looks like the same electric motor. For comparison, the T5 and T6 currently make 250 hp and 316 hp respectively, meaning these hybrids give up little in the way of peak power.

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City driving environments are generally where hybrids realize the best fuel economy gains, and it is so with these models from Volvo — at least as far as the American EPA is concerned. City economy improves from 23 mpg (10.2 L/100 km) to 26 mpg (9.0 L/100 km) in the S60 sedan, for example; while the V60 Cross Country wagon jumps from 20 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) to 22 mpg (10.7 L/100 km). Baby steps, perhaps, but any weightlifter at the Olympics will tell you that small gains eventually make for big progress.

Overall, the company has had strong 2021 sales in Canada, moving just over a thousand units in June for a total of 5,143 vehicles sold through the first six months of this year.

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