Volvo has confirmed months ago that they will be looking at just battery electric powered vehicles in the near future and their petrol and hybrid range of vehicles will soon be history for all markets they are in. This move is in line with Volvo Cars owners, Geely’s vision for all their automotive brands.
News just in yesterday that Volvo’s first battery electric vehicle (BEV) has just gone on sale in the United Kingdom for a selling price that starts from £53,155 and its first customer deliveries is confirmed for early 2021.
This five-seat full electric SUV has a driving range of 249 miles and the launch P8 version has two electric motors for a total power output of 408hp. The 0-62mph acceleration takes a quick 4.9 seconds only.
PRESS RELEASE: The XC40 Recharge P8 is based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), an advanced vehicle platform co-developed within the Geely Group.
The all-wheel drive XC40 Recharge P8 offers a range of over 400 km (WLTP) on a single charge and output of 408hp. The battery charges to 80 % of its capacity in 40 mins on a fast-charger system.
The new, Android-powered infotainment system offers customers unprecedented personalisation, improved levels of intuitiveness and embedded Google technology and services, such as the Google Assistant, Google Maps and the Google Play Store. The XC40 Recharge P8 also receives larger software and operating system updates over the air.
While building on the excellent safety standards of the original XC40, Volvo Cars safety engineers have completely redesigned and reinforced the frontal structure of the Recharge P8 to address the absence of an engine, meet Volvo Cars’ high safety requirements and help keep people as safe as in any other Volvo.
The battery is protected by a safety cage embedded in the middle of the car’s body structure. Its placement in the floor of the car also lowers the centre of gravity of the car, for better protection against roll-overs.
Inside, an innovative approach to all-round functionality provides drivers with plenty of storage space, for example in the doors, under the seats and in the trunk. Not having an internal combustion engine means the car provides drivers with even more storage space than the regular XC40, via a so-called ‘frunk’ under the front hood.
Over the next five years, Volvo Cars will launch a fully electric car every year, as it seeks to make all-electric cars 50 per cent of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids. Recharge will be the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain.
From early 2020, customers entering the Volvo Cars website will first be asked whether they want a Volvo Recharge car or not. To further encourage electric driving, every Volvo Recharge plug-in hybrid model will come with free electricity for a year, provided through a refund for the average electricity cost during that period.
