Volvo XC40 Recharge, the SUV that takes the Swedish brand into the 100 percent electric era

The new Volvo XC40 Recharge is the brand’s first 100 percent electric model, the one that introduces the Recharge concept

2019 marks the year the Volvo electric car catalogue opened. In fact, within the plans of the Swedish brand, which depends on the Chinese consortium Geely, it is projected to launch a new electric car every year, from the present until 2025.

In 2020, the Volvo XC40 electric will reach dealerships with a dual task: to face the era of electric motoring and to establish the Recharge concept.

On the one hand, this car, about which we have already shared information on its architecture and the safety standards followed in its construction as an electric car, we now know has a battery that can be recharged using an internal charger with a power of 11 kW, in alternating current, and up to 150 kW when plugged into a direct current supply, achieving a fast charge of up to 80 percent of its capacity in 40 minutes.

On the other hand, the electric accumulator of this crossover has a WLTP-certified range of up to 400 km when the battery has been fully charged.

Worth noting, Volvo wants to boost sales of its new Recharge models and, for that reason, the users of this car, as well as those of hybrid and plug-in vehicles, will be able to recharge the vehicle free of charge since, for one year, the cost of the electricity used to run the Volvo XC40 Recharge will be reimbursed, based on the average cost of electricity over that period.

The drive of this new 2020 SUV comes from two electric motors, one on each axle, which gives it all-wheel drive and a power output of 300 kW, equivalent to 408 CV. As a result, although its top speed is not excessive, its 0 to 100 acceleration time is that of a sports car: 4.7 seconds.

Evolution as an improvement of the species

As if following Charles Darwin’s postulate on the evolution of species, the electric Volvo XC40 was born with the requirement of being based on the 2018 car. Its evolution as a vehicle of the immediate future obliges the new SUV to face its commercial life under technological standards even higher than those of the SUV it is based on.

And as a native vehicle of the digital age, it features the new infotainment system based on the Android operating system, exclusive to cars, which is integrated into the brand’s online services platform, Volvo On Call. It also carries the over-the-air software that allows the system to be updated and continuously improved and evolved.

Recharge: the new philosophy of Volvo

The Recharge concept of Volvo does not only mean what its English translation expresses, to recharge, but represents a new way of understanding and facing the immediate future of the planet in terms of preserving and improving the environment.

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Volvo adopts the measures agreed at the Paris climate summit and establishes that by 2040 the impact of its activities on the environment will be zero.

This implies a new approach for the company that will require reshaping everything from the conception of its products to their manufacture. That is why Recharge will include new models and others already known but adapted to this philosophy, from the Series 60 vehicles up to the flagship, impressive SUV, the Volvo XC90.

Technical specifications of this car

CrossoverVolvo XC4011 versions · from 42,800 €