This is it. Volvo has officially join the electric vehicle market with its first EV called Volvo XC40 Recharge. The Recharge line will include both fully electric vehicles as well as hybrids. As suggested by its moniker, it is based on the XC40 compact SUV, but clearly with more futuristic lines and sans the usual front grille because, it doesn’t need one.
While details of the drivetrain is unknown, we do know it will be a 408 HP fully electric all-wheel drive powertrain with 660 Nm (487 lb-ft) of torque, hooked up to a 78 kWh battery system packed under its floor that offers a range of over 400 kilometers (roughly 250 miles) on a single charge. When use with a fast-charger system, the battery charges from 10 to 80 percent of its capacity in just 40 minutes.
With drives at the axles/wheels and battery system in its floor pan, it frees up the the under-the-hood space to serve as addition storage space, albeit one that it is rather small. Seriously, it looks like it is only good for a duffel bag. Or maybe its just place for the charging cable?
A few other highlights include a 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, a 2,000 lbs towing capacity, , loads of smart storage, Car Sharing feature (for sharing your car with a friend via your phone), and Android-powered infotainment system with integration with Volvo On Call, a digital connected services platform, and of course, access to a suite of Google services like Google Maps, Google Assistant, Google Play Store and whatnot.
Exact availability is not known, but it becomes available, expect to shell out at least $55,000 for a unit before tax credit. If you are keen, you may want to know that you can reserve a unit now for a $1,000 deposit.
The electric SUV is leading the charge in the marque’s brand-new Recharge car line concept and over the next five years, the China’s Geely-owned Swedish automaker plans to launch a fully electric car every year with the aim of EV filling 50 percent of its global sales by 2025 while the rest of the sale to be covered by hybrids.
All images courtesy of Volvo Cars.
