These lower rates however only apply during the first year of owning a new all-electric Volvo.
Good news to owners of all-electric Volvos over in Europe, as charging your Swedish EV could now be cheaper and more convenient than ever. This is because Volvo has recently announced that it will begin to offer its customers preferential fast charging prices at various public charge points, in addition to revamping its smartphone app to better consolidate its digital charging platform.
Kicking things off with the preferential charging prices first, Volvo’s deepened collaboration with charging point platform Plugsurfing has enabled it to offer its customers a heavily reduced charging price at Ionity charging points all across Europe. Starting from the 1st of July, owners of these fully-electric Volvos (and Polestar 2s) will only have to pay €0.35/kWh (RM 1.75/kWh) when charging at the more than 340 high power Ionity public charging stations scattered across 24 European nations.
This deal represents a significant savings for electric Volvo owners, as the typical Ionity charging price in Europe currently stands at €0.79/kWh (RM 4.20/kWh). There is however a catch to all this, as the preferential charging price is only to be valid to new owners for the first 12 months of ownership. Though it is worth highlighting for pedantry’s sake too that existing customers will also able to reap these lower rates for 12 months starting from July 1, 2021.
Now moving onto the new app meanwhile, the Swedish automaker has also announced that it will soon be rolling out a refreshed Volvo Cars smartphone application as to better offer its customers a seamless charging experience. Touted to provide a more consolidated digital charging platform, the main changes made this time round to the app will be the integration of various EV-centric functionalities like navigation to charging stations, remote control of charging, charging notifications and payments into this one app itself.
Volvo has recently announced that it will be transitioning towards a fully-electric lineup by 2030, and it is moves like this that will further expedite its future electrification ambitions. It remains to be seen however whether these steps will be carried over to regions with less developed EV ecosystems, like Malaysia for instance.
PRESS RELEASE: Volvo Cars is outlining its ambition to offer its customers of Recharge cars comprehensive and easy access to public charging. It aims to do so by continuously lowering charging costs across the board for its customers, improving the charging experience, and expanding its charging networks.
Through a new and deepened collaboration with charging point platform Plugsurfing, Volvo Cars will offer its customers a heavily reduced charging price at Ionity charging points across Europe. Starting July 1, 2021, drivers of pure electric Volvo cars will pay 0,35 EUR/kWh at Ionity’s more than 340 high power charging stations across 24 European countries, during the first 12 months of ownership of a pure electric Volvo car.
“We are excited to offer our customers one of the most competitive prices for charging at Ionity, one of Europe’s largest public fast charging networks,” said Olivier Loedel, head of electrification ecosystem at Volvo Cars. “This collaboration is a first step in our global ambition to help our customers of Recharge cars travel quickly at a much lower charging cost, wherever they are.”
“The bottom line is that customers want easy access to public charging infrastructure,” says Tatu Kulla, Plugsurfing CEO. “Price and quality of digital infrastructure are key aspects of an excellent user experience. We value the strategic partners who share this vision and seek collaborative solutions.”
To offer its customers a seamless charging experience, Volvo Cars will soon make its refreshed smartphone app, Volvo Cars app, one consolidated digital charging platform.
It will integrate functionalities including navigation to charging stations, remote control of charging, charging notifications and payments, making every step of charging easier and a trip with an electric Volvo car more convenient than ever before.
“Volvo Cars aims to change the current fragmented public charging landscape into an all-in experience that is convenient and hassle-free,” said Olivier Loedel. “We want to achieve this by providing an integrated digital charging platform for our customers, and easy access to the largest charging networks globally.”
The Volvo Cars app is an updated version of the widely appreciated Volvo on Call app and is designed to offer Volvo Cars’ customers a convenient and continuously updated platform with access to various functionalities and services.
