Fully electric Volvo with 408 hp – XC40 called Recharge

Volvo has been working quietly behind the curtains. I reviewed the XC40 T5 around a year ago and no hybrid system was in sight. Okay, the XC90 and XC6 had the T8 but their prices are, more. The need of a hybrid system for the people is of course as high as ever, and Volvo has answered with mild hybrid systems. That is great news! But wait, there is more. If you want a fully electric Volvo, you won´t have to wait much longer.

XC40 Recharge is the name of the car where Recharge is the name for electric vehicles in Volvo´s fleet. ”We have said it several times before: the future is electric for Volvo Cars” says Håkan Samuelsson, Volvo Cars CEO. A rather bold expression and even bolder goal. To have 50 percent of global sales to be electric in 2025 and the rest will be hybrids.

What is the deal with the XC40 Recharge? In short, it is an XC40 with an electric engine in it. That means batteries deep in the car, that’s why you can see some more black plastic between the wheels, and the ride height from the XC40 is probably the reason why Volvo choose it as the first model to electrify. Where would you else put the batteries and still have space left for people and luggage?

The power will be 408 hp which is plenty. The question is how heavy the car will become, and if they will change the springs and dampers. The T5 that I tested weighted 2.2 tons and had stiffer suspension to be sporty, and it still leaned in the corners. Batteries weight a lot which tells me that there will be more changes underneath than anybody knows.

The car will have a range of over 400 km with the new driving cycle and the batteries can be charged up to 80 percent in 40 minutes with a fast charging system. What system that will be is still not known. The batteries are 75 kWh and the car will do 0-100 km/h in 4.9 s.

This is big but long awaited news from Volvo, and if they create a good electric machinery, they already have the perfect car to put it in. It will be very interesting to see how Volvo will transform their entire lineup.