Here are the numbers: a 35-mile all-electric range, a recharging time of just 3.5 hours from a 220V outlet (7.5 hours from a more common 110V). Volvo estimates U.S. fuel economy of 105 MPGe and 50 mpg when the battery runs dry. 0-60 is reached in 5.8 seconds on the way to a 130 mph top speed. Oh, and eight gears in an auto transmission.
Petroleum is burned in a four-cylinder, 2-liter, turbocharged direct-injected gasoline engine that has stop-start technology. This 280-horsepower powerplant moves the front wheels, and a 70-hp electric motor propels the back wheels (this is known as a through-the-road hybrid). The XC60 PHEV has a 12-kWh lithium-ion battery, but just 66 percent of that (8 kWh) is used.