Volvo XC90 hybrid is charged by other cars

Car manufacturers are not strangers to quirky, interesting advertisements, and when Volvo teamed up with Avicii to release the Feeling Good video to launch the all-new Volvo XC90, we didn’t think it could get any better.

But then Volvo launched the XC90 T8 plug-in hybrid SUV in the US and used this Highway Robbery video to show the world the innovative technology powering this machine.

The video shows the PHEV variant of Volvo’s large SUV using wasted power from passing cars to power the batteries and run the XC90s 2.0-lite turbocharged petrol engine and electric motor.

In Volvo’s video, Innovation Architect, Bob Partington, explains the concept of the hydro-electric charging system. The technology works via some special mats placed over water pipes on a California highway. Each time a car drives over the mats, the water is pushed into a generator that converts the energy into electricity and in turn, charges the XC90’s batteries. Sounds pretty simple, right?

But if the brilliance of the idea isn’t enough, the cheeky messages displayed to cars passing by via a lit-up sign at the end will change your mind. But don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself.