volvo unveils its first fully electric car: the XC40 recharge

volvo has unveiled its first fully electric car alongside a pledge to go carbon-neutral. the XC40 recharge is the first of a family of fully electric volvos the swedish carmaker plans to release. it is also proofpoint of the company’s ambitious action plan to reach carbon neutrality by 2040 in line with the paris climate agreement.

images courtesy of volvo

the XC40 recharge is based on volvo‘s best-selling XC40 small SUV with a few changes including a smooth cover in place of the grille. more importantly however, is the fully electric all-wheel drive powertrain that produces 408 hp and an estimated 442 pound-feet of torque. 

a 78 kWh battery pack is embedded into the floor of the XC40 recharge that charges to 80 % of its capacity in 40 mins on a fast-charger system. it allows for about 200 miles on a full charge, using two 150 kW motors, one on each axle to send the small SUV from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds.

the car is the company’s first to feature a brand new infotainment system powered by google’s android operating system, which is integrated with volvo on call, the company’s digital connected services platform. via volvo on call plug-in hybrid drivers can track how much time they spend driving on electric power.

‘we have said this several times before: for volvo cars, the future is electric,’ said håkan samuelsson, chief executive. ‘today we take a major new step in that direction with the launch of our fully electric XC40 and the recharge car line.’

over the next five years, the company will launch a fully electric car every year, as it seeks to make all-electric cars 50 per cent of global sales by 2025. it hopes to encourage customers to choose an electric car by offering free electricity for a year with every volvo recharge plug-in hybrid model purchased.

to meet potential demand, volvo plans to triple production capacity for electrified cars and aims for plug-in hybrid cars to make up 20 per cent of total sales in 2020. the company plans to begin sales in the US of its XC40 recharge model next year starting at around $50,000 USD, after government incentives.

project info

company: volvo

model: XC40 recharge

type: electric car