Volvo Car Australia has officially expressed interest in the new Volvo C30 Electric hatchback and is now investigating the business case of introducing it to Australia.

With production of the Volvo C30 Electric now underway, Volvo Car Australia’s Jaedene Hudson said the new EV was a serious talking point at the Swedish marque’s Australian offices.

“The C30 Electric car offers the very same comfort, interior space and safety as the standard version of the C30 but can operate on 150km on pure electricity for zero emissions,” Ms Hudson said.

“The C30 Electric is the next step in green motoring from Volvo. We’ve seen the initial information from Volvo Cars Corporation and have expressed interest in the car. The next stage will be to put together a business case to see if the car will be viable in our market.”

The C30 Electric takes seven hours to recharge from a regular power point. Acceleration from 0-100km/h takes 10.9 seconds, making it quicker than the C30 1.6 DRIVe diesel, which takes 11.3 seconds. The DRIVe model is one of the most fuel efficient cars in Australia, with a combined cycle figure of 3.9 litres/100km.

Naturally, Volvo has also invested heavily in the safety of the C30 Electric, and as the crash test video shows, all of the car’s vital electric components remain protected.

The Swedish brand’s first electric car is being assembled alongside the rest of the C30 range in Ghent, Belgium. Volvo plans to produce 250 vehicles by the end of 2012, although it will ramp up production if there is the demand.

The first deliveries to government agencies and business buyers in Sweden, Belgium, Norway and the Netherlands will begin in August 2011.