The Volvo XC40 Recharge or electric variant is reportedly heading to India in late 2021 or early 2022. The car is yet to be launched for customers (set to happen later this year) and ahead of the global launch, the company has released a walk-around video of its first electric vehicle, showcasing the car’s features and powertrain.
The XC40 features a clamshell hood with a new colour co-ordinated grille which has been designed to improve aerodynamics, flanked by the famous Thor’s Hammer LED headlamps. The car has a sculpted profile with new alloy wheels specially designed for the Recharge version.
The boot space is the same 413 litres as with the regular XC40 and the rear seats can be folded flat to expand the luggage space. There’s additional storage space in the front of the car that holds in its floor a spare kit. The XC40 Recharge has a towing capacity of up to 1,500 kg.
The car’s infotainment system has been developed along with Google and is powered by Android OS and supports several apps including Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play. The digital instrument cluster has been further updated for the electric version and now gets three display modes that can be used to prioritize information shown on it and essential driver information like battery capacity and range is shown in all the modes. The central touchscreen infotainment can be customised for tiles and is more intuitive to operate. The XC40 Recharge is also equipped to get over-the-air (OTA) updates, which will be notified through messages in the car and can be installed according to the customer’s requirement.
With the Volvo-on-call app, customers can pre-activate the heated seats and steering wheel before entering the car. There is no separate start/stop button in the XC40 Recharge and the technology is put in the seat as a sensor. The driver just has to sit, press the brake pedal, choose the drive mode and can be on their way.
The dual electric motor setup makes a combined power of 408 hp and maximum torque of 660 Nm, and the XC40 Recharge can go from 0 to 100 km/h in just 4.9 seconds. The car gets one pedal operation to boost regenerative braking; once the foot is off the accelerator pedal, the motors are used to bring down the speed of the car and at the same time charge the batteries. The XC40 Recharge is powered by a 78 kWh battery offering a range of over 400 km in a single charge. With a 150 kW DC fast charger, the battery can be charged from 0 to 80 per cent capacity in 40 minutes.
9 March, 2020 –
Volvo opens battery assembly plant in Belgium for the India-bound XC40 EV
The Volvo XC40 Recharge, the first fully electric car from Volvo which will enter production this year in Belgium will source its batteries from an assembly line inside the same facility.
Volvo Cars inaugurated the battery assembly line at its Belgian manufacturing plant in Ghent last week as the next step in its electrification strategy and its climate action plan. It looks to reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint per vehicle by 40% between 2018 and 2025, as part of the larger goal of turning into a climate-neutral corporation by 2040.
Volvo is stating that the XC40’s fully electric all-wheel-drive powertrain provides a range of over 400 km (249 miles) on a single charge with an output of 408 hp. 80 percent battery charge is attained in 40 minutes on a fast-charger system.
The XC40 EV comes with a completely new infotainment system powered by Google’s Android operating system which includes the ‘Volvo On Call’ system, the company’s digital connected services platform that allows users to track their usage.
Volvo confirms that it will bring out five pure electric cars over the next five years to make sales 50% from that of EVs, and the remaining from hybrids. ‘Recharge’ will be the common name for all Volvo models that use some form of electricity in the drive. The company is tripling production capacity of its electrified cars starting this year.
Volvo XC40 Electric (Volvo XC40 Recharge) India launch plans?
The XC40 Recharge is certainly on the Indian radar as the government has laid out several incentives to the promote electric vehicles. If locally assembled, the XC40 could be an option for buyers looking at a premium compact crossover that is unique. The company has not made an announcement, but Charles Frump, the MD of Volvo Car India said to the media in 2019 that he discussed the pro-EV policy of India with Volvo’s Swedish headquarters and the broached the subject of introducing the Volvo electric car as a CKD. If the company can secure kits, it could be among the first luxury brands to assemble a pure-electric in India. Note that Volvo is yet to begin assembly of the regular XC40 in India.