Volvo Cars will reveal its electric C30, which has a range of just under 100 miles at the Detroit Motor Show in January.

The Swedish carmaker said it will build a test fleet of 50 electric C30s to trial in real-life traffic from 2011.

Selected users will drive the test fleet during a two-year trial period beginning in 2011 in order to provide Volvo Cars with experience - not just technical but also behavioral.

"Our test fleet data will be valuable in Volvo Cars' development of electric cars.

"It will also provide crucial input for the infrastructure planners and help define which services are needed to make rechargeable cars the most attractive choice in the future," said Lennart Stegland, director of Volvo Cars Special Vehicles.

The experience of driving an electric car is quite different, he said.

"Sailing along almost silently is a very special experience. The power is there instantaneously. We need to spend a lot of time verifying a transmission system that is both comfortable and safe for the driver to handle and at the same time utilizes the battery's capacity optimally at different speeds.

"We believe in this technology and our field test aims to demonstrate that electric cars have considerable market potential. However, offering an attractive car is not enough. What is also needed initially is a system of subsidies to make the electric car's expensive battery technology financially viable for the car buyers. We hope that the authorities and the rest of the society will follow Volvo Cars in our "Drive Towards Zero" - Volvo Cars' journey towards zero emissions."