Volvo introduces a new Recharge plug-in hybrid engine for the 60 and 90 series

From Volvo they are very clear that the arrival of electric vehicles is something that must come sooner rather than later, which is why they want to get ahead and lead the premium electric vehicle segment. To that end, they want the Swedish brand to sell only electric vehicles by 2030 and, by the middle of this decade, to sell 1.2 million vehicles worldwide, of which at least half are already pure electric.

But reaching this goal does not mean forgetting the earlier steps, such as, at least for the time being, continuing to pay attention to the plug-in hybrid vehicles that remain in the Volvo range. It is in this respect that the Swedes have introduced innovations affecting the hybrid powertrain fitted to their 60 and 90 series models, which will benefit from an even more efficient system.

The main improvements that Volvo has introduced to this hybrid system are a new long-life battery that adds a third layer of cells, raising the nominal energy from 11.6 kWh to 18.8 kWh. In addition, a new electric motor on the rear axle has been installed, delivering 145 CV, so the combined output of the Recharge T6 models rises to 350 CV and, in the Recharge T8 models, to 455 CV, making the latter the most powerful Volvo vehicles ever built.

Thanks to these improvements, future owners of these models will see the fully electric range increased to 90 km, meaning most drivers will be able to cover the great majority of their journeys in electric mode, since according to the brand’s own studies these drivers do not travel more than 50 km a day. Furthermore, according to Volvo’s own estimates, this new hybrid system can reduce CO2 emissions by around 50% under the WLTP test cycle.

From the outset, this new plug-in hybrid powertrain will be available for the Volvo XC60, S90 and V90 Recharge, and it will later also reach the rest of the Volvo Recharge plug-in hybrid models built on the Scalable Product Architecture (SPA), which also include the Volvo S60, V60 and XC90 Recharge.

By the way, taking advantage of the improvements introduced to this hybrid system, Volvo has also improved the T8 turbo petrol engine, which now appears as an even more efficient unit in both fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, while also offering more power at low revs.