The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge is the companys first-ever all-electric vehicle and heralds the roll out of a new EV from Volvo each coming year for the next five years.Andrew McCredie LOS ANGELES, Ca. Two years ago, Volvo promised to make every vehicle it sells electrified by 2020. It has now made good on its promise with the unveiling of its first-ever all-electric vehicle, which is also the first Volvo that will receive software and technical updates over the air (a la Tesla).The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge is an electrified version of the compact luxury crossover the Swedish automaker brought to Canada last year, the perfect platform for Volvos initial foray in the EV space. The exterior of the electrified version differs from its gas-powered stablemate in the front end (no need for a radiator grille) and the rear end (no need for tailpipes) but apart from that borrows many body panels from the ICE version. Likewise, the vast majority of the XC40 Recharges top hat cabin interior, doors, rear cargo space and hatch is from the original. Each model is built in the same Belgium factory in Gent.Where they differ, of course, is in the powertrain and parts of the chassis, though they still share many suspension bits and pieces.The XC40 Recharge has two electric motors, one powering each axle, fed by a good-sized 78-kWh lithium-ion battery pack. According to Volvo, the electric XC40 outperforms its petrol partner by some measure, reporting power output of 408 horsepower, 660 lb.-ft. of torque and a sub-five-second zero-to-100 km/h time.North American full-charge range is expected to be in the 320-kilometre range, though Volvo Canada says that is a conservative estimate (no doubt trying to avoid the disappointment surrounding the Audi e-Tron’s reported range that fell short of published figures). And according to Volvo, the battery charges to 80 per cent of capacity in 40 minutes on a fast-charger system.Not much information was provided about the regenerative braking system, but we do know it will come with three modes: a one-pedal driving mode, a mild regen mode and a freewheeling mode. The XC40 Recharge is also notable as it features an all-new infotainment system developed by Volvo and Google, the first such partnership for a global automaker. According to Volvo, the Google Android operating system is more intuitive than past interactive systems, and uses a suite of Google apps to improve interactions, including Google Assistant, Google Play and Google Maps. The latter includes real-time traffic updates and constant monitoring of the vehicles battery range to suggest nearby charging stations and to map the most efficient routes possible. Voice recognition functions can control most in-car functions, from climate to music to text messaging.During the reveal to the worlds motoring press at Hubble Studios in L.A., Volvo execs went to great lengths to underscore the companys commitment to sustainability, not just in terms of what comes out of Volvo tailpipes but in terms of the entire manufacturing process and the manufacturing processes of its supply partners, including battery suppliers. Over the next five years, the company has committed to launch a fully electric car every year in an effort to make all-electric cars 50 per cent of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids. The name Recharge is the new brand name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain.As to the bigger picture of building cars in a cleaner manner, the company is aiming to reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint per car by 40 per cent between 2018 and 2025. This is seen as the first, tangible step towards Volvo Cars ambition of becoming a climate neutral company by 2040.The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge is expected in Canadian showrooms by this time next year, and pricing will be released early in 2020. Plugged In is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Google
Origin: First Look: 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge
recharge
Volvo XC40 Recharge EV revealed
Volvo XC40 Recharge EV revealed The new electric Volvo has a range of almost 250 miles Volvo has launched its first fully-electric model – the XC40 Recharge. Kicking off a new Recharge sub-brand, Volvo’s pure-electric compact SUV has a range of 249 miles on a single charge. Powered by two electric motors – one on each axle – the XC40 Recharge produces 408hp (304 kW), providing a 0-62mph time of just 4.9 seconds. A 78 kWh battery ensures a good range available, and Volvo has backed that up by offering an 11 kW on-board charger for AC charging, and the ability to charge at 150 kW DC for ultra-rapid CCS units. As such, a charge to 80% can be completed in 40 minutes. Visually similar to the conventionally and plug-in hybrid powered XC40 models, the key difference is the smoothed off grille. A charging port takes the place of the fuel filler flap, and there are some Recharge badges about the place, but that’s about it. Because of the battery packaging, boot space is less than the petrol and diesel versions, but there is storage space under the bonnet to compensate. The XC40 Recharge will be the first to feature a new infotainment system built on the Google Android operating system. It is expected that it will improve the ability to update the car’s systems compared to current set-ups. Prices are yet to be confirmed, though launch models are expected to cost a little under £50,000, and subsequent versions from around the £35,000 mark. Specifications and pricing for the UK market will be announced at a later date, with production due to start next year.
Origin: Volvo XC40 Recharge EV revealed
Volvo reveals XC40 Recharge as first full electric model
The four-wheel-drive XC40 Recharge features two 201bhp electric motors, one mounted on each axle, that combine to offer 402bhp and 487lb ft of torque. That enables it to achieve 0-62mph in 4.9 secs, with a limited top speed of 112mph. Power is drawn from a 78kWh underfloor battery, with Volvo citing a WLTP-certified range of more than 248 miles. Charging is available through an 11kW AC charger or a 150kW DC fast-charger, which the firm says can deliver an 80% charge in 40 minutes. The vehicle largely retains the exterior and interior styling of the conventional XC40, albeit with the addition of a new sealed fascia in place of the traditional radiator grille for the combustion engine. The model also gets Recharge branding and other minor design tweaks, while the charging port is located on the rear pillar of the car in the same place as a traditional petrol cap. Built on the same Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform as the regular XC40, the Recharge version retains largely the same dimensions with a length of 4425mm and a width of 2034mm. Because of the underfloor batteries, the XC40 Recharge has a slightly reduced ground clearance of 175mm, compared to 211mm on the regular model. The XC40 Recharge offers 413 litres of luggage capacity, a reduction of 460 litres for the regular model although, due to the space saved by the lack of a combustion engine, it gains a 31-litre ‘frunk’ storage area underneath the bonnet. The machine weighs a minimum of 2150kg, compared to 1497kg for the combustion-engined version. The XC40 Recharge is also the first Volvo to feature a new infotainment system powered by the Google Android operating system. That system features Volvo On Call, the firm’s digital platform. The likely initial price of the XC40 Recharge is similar to that of the closely related Polestar 2, the first electric model from Volvo’s spin-off performance brand. That model, which features the same electric powertrain – and identical power, torque output and range – costs £49,900 in its initial Launch Edition. Planned base models are likely to cost around £34,500. To accompany the launch of the XC40 Recharge, Volvo is also revamping its sales process. From early next year, customers visiting its website will be asked first if they want an electrified car, and a range of financial incentives designed to encourage efficient electric driving will also be offered. With Volvo aiming for plug-in hybrids to account for a fifth of its total sales next year, the firm is planning to triple production capacity for its electrified models, including the XC40 Recharge. It will also offer a new Designer’s Choice selection for Recharge models, which it says will feature “radically reduced delivery
Origin: Volvo reveals XC40 Recharge as first full electric model
Volvo launches Recharge brand for electrified cars
Volvo will introduce a new Recharge brand for all of its full electric and plug-in hybrid cars, and has vowed to show buyers the average lifecycle carbon footprint of each new model as part of a bold set of plans to reduce its carbon emissions. The new Recharge line will be introduced with the Swedish firm’s first battery electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge, which will be unveiled later today (Wednesday). That will also be the first model for which Volvo will disclose the average lifecycle carbon footprint – effectively the CO2 emissions the car will produce during its life with both manufacturing and usage taken into account. The Recharge label will be used on all new electrified models the firm releases from now on. Volvo says that it will use the brand to push sales of electrified cars, and that it will offer incentives to encourage plug-in hybrid drivers to use the full electric Pure mode as much as possible. Volvo has already revealed plans for half of the cars it sells by 2025 to be fully electric, and has now launched a wider climate plan with the aim to reduce the lifecycle carbon footprint per car by 40% from 2018 figures by the same date. The firm has also set a target of becoming an entirely climate-neutral company by 2040. Volvo has already pledged that every new car its introduces will feature an electrified powertrain. But it says that meeting its climate target will involve both pursuing “all-out electrification” of its vehicle line-up, and reducing carbon emissions from its manufacturing network, wider operations and supply chain. The firm is also aiming to increase both recycling and the reuse of materials. To achieve a 40% reduction of its per car CO2 footprint by 2025, Volvo has set goals for that date of reducing CO2 emissions from its global supply chain by 25%, reducing its own carbon emissions by 25% and using 25% recycled plastics in new cars. Volvo boss Hakan Samuelsson said that the firm was “transforming our company through concrete actions, not symbolic pledges.” He added: “We will address what we can control, which is both out operations and the tailpipe emissions of our cars. And we will address what we can influence, by calling on our suppliers and the energy sector to join us in aiming for a climate neutral future.” Volvo recently announced plans to merge its combustion engine programme with parent firm Geely, and then spin it off into a separate company. It says that will allow it to focus fully on electrified
Origin: Volvo launches Recharge brand for electrified cars
B.C. government steps in to recharge EV incentive program
Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., plugs in a Chevrolet Volt at the Vancouver International Auto Show.Ric Ernst/Postmedia You’ve heard of range anxiety. How about grant anxiety? Two days ago, on May 15th, the B.C. electric vehicle rebate program’s cupboard was bare. “We ran out of money,” said Blair Qualey, president and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia, the group that manages the CEVforBC rebate program. Yesterday, the province recharged the EV incentive program with a $10 million infusion. “We’ve been talking with government since May 1st encouraging them to be prepared to move money quickly,” Qualey explained. “You can never really exactly gauge what day (we’d run out of money), but we guestimated Wednesday of this week and as it turned out we were right on.” On May 1 there was $6.5 million in the fund; two weeks later it was empty. Qualey says the average grant is in the $4,700 range, meaning approximately 1,382 new qualifying vehicles have been purchased through the program in that time. So why the massive uptake in EV sales in the past two weeks? Call it a perfect storm of the federal incentive program kicking in on May 1, record-setting high gas prices in B.C., and an increasing number of new EV models coming to Canadian showrooms. Qualey explained that when the federal incentive program was first announced in April, EV sales across the country essentially stopped as consumers waited for that funding to take affect. “Between then and May 1, everybody was sitting on their hands waiting. People were still putting deposits down for EVs but were waiting until May 1 so they could get the federal grant,” he said. “So there was this huge bubble of demand building and building, so that when May 1 came there was a huge rush.” The B.C. government allocated $42 million to the CEVforBC program in their annual budget announcement back in February, meaning there is still $32 million available. Said Qualey: “I think things will slow down a little bit as we’re through that initial bubble, but people are paying attention to this, and gas prices are certainly hurting people’s pocketbooks these days.” He added he’s been getting calls from dealer principals in the past couple of weeks saying 80 per cent of their recent sales have been
Origin: B.C. government steps in to recharge EV incentive program
All about car 