Cars have made a great contribution to the way people enjoy their lives. Cars are practical, exhilarating, attractive and, sometimes, just plain fun. But they can also have a negative effect on the environment we share and will pass along to future generations. So at Volvo, just as we are striving to build safer cars, we're also striving to build cars that are environmentally compatible. That way, we can contribute to passing along a world that's at least as good as the one that was given to us.

Reduction of Ground-Level Ozone
Ancient alchemists dreamt of turning lead into gold. Well, how about a car that can turn harmful ozone into oxygen? It's no dream, but a reality, thanks to advanced Volvo engineering.

It started in 1976, when Volvo developed and introduced a 3-way catalytic converter and oxygen sensor, the first system of its type to help reduce all three of these harmful pollutants. Today, the system comes as standard on all Volvos and can reduce unwanted emissions by up to 95%.

More recently, Volvo introduced the PremAir®* radiator system, which helps clean ground level ozone as you drive. PremAir® can best be described as a coating on the radiator that actually turns ground level ozone into oxygen as air flows through it. At high temperatures, up to 75% of ozone is converted into pure, breathable - and very welcome - oxygen.

*PremAir is a trademark of Englehard Corporation

Recovery of Fuel Vapors
Vapors from a car can be as dangerous as exhaust from your car. Thankfully, Volvo is doing something about it. How? By specifying materials for fuel tanks and other components that help contain evaporation, and by developing recovery systems that capture fuel vapors and reintroduce them into the fuel supply. That way, these vapors will power your car, instead of pollute your air.

Reduction of Fuel Consumption
Everybody wants to drive, but nobody wants the carbon dioxide that comes from driving. Carbon dioxide is an inevitable by-product of all fuel combustion. And the more fuel a vehicle consumes, the more carbon dioxide it emits. Volvo has and continues to introduce refinements to engines and power trains that improve efficiency and help to reduce overall fuel consumption - improvements that may ultimately benefit not just Volvo, but the entire automotive industry.

Use of Alternative Fuels
One sure way to improve gasoline consumption is not to use any gasoline at all. So Volvo is exploring the use of alternative fuels, instead. Alternative fuels under study include methane gas (natural gas and biogas), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), alcohol (ethanol and methanol), biodiesel (DME, RME), natural gas (CNG) and hydrogen gas. Volvo's Bi-Fuel engine runs on both LPG or CNG and switches automatically to gasoline only when needed.