One of the best aspects of working for an automobile manufacturer as a car enthusiast was the occasional opportunity to peer into the brand’s crystal ball. This happened numerous times for me as a Volvo employee, usually during a business trip to Sweden, Volvo’s mother country. But sometimes they brought the excitement directly into our backyard, as happened in 1993 when a full-size concept car, in this case the Volvo ECC (Environmental Concept Car) was put on display in Rockleigh, NJ, Volvo’s American headquarters.

Interestingly, the ECC was built as a hybrid, long before our current market infatuation with that term. According to the Wikipedia article on the car:

… the Volvo ECC used a gas turbine engine to drive the generator for recharging. This type of engine has a higher thermodynamic efficiency than the conventional internal combustion engine with pistons. Also in Volvo’s design, the fuel is evaporated and mixed with air before ignition. This provides a very low NOx emission. The driver can also switch between gas turbine electric and hybrid by switches on the dashboard.

That particular hybrid setup never made it to market. What did come to market, in 1998, was a totally new sedan, the Volvo S80, and in retrospect, we saw that the styling of the ECC was very close to completely foretelling the S80’s design. The new design language of the S80 was a major breakthrough for Volvo, and spread throughout the rest of the range. The ECC was designed in 1992, and the S80 was launched in 1998, six years later. This gives you some idea of the long lead time that automobile manufacturers often need when bringing a totally new car to market

I remember that day in 1993 well. The ECC was parked outside one of Volvo’s buildings in the industrial park, and employees were given permission to inspect it. I had my camera with me that day at work, so obviously, I was expecting to see it, and was excited at the opportunity to take a few snaps. Learning about the ECC made me proud to work for a company that was developing environmental solutions within our industry.

 

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