Volvo has just unveiled the new C40 Recharge , which will only be electric, one more step towards the total electrification of the brand in 2030.
Not surprisingly, as a Scandinavian brand (even if in the hands of the Chinese group Geely), Volvo is one of the car brands with the clearest plans for the full electrification of its range, which will only be sold online in the medium term.
There are no plans to close the dealer network (about 2400 globally), but rather to integrate after-sales services, maintenance, etc., with online vehicle transactions. These will be simplified with simpler vehicle configurations and without the practice of discounts, within what very strong technological brands, such as Apple, put into practice for years.
Diesels are ending up at Volvo (by the middle of this decade they should be extinct) and 2029 will be the year in which the last models will be produced that still contain a combustion engine (gasoline), even if integrated in hybrid propulsion systems .
Exclusively Electric
The new C40 Recharge, 4.43 m long, has the same rolling and propulsion base as the XC40 (CMA platform), differing mainly by the descending roof and rear section with a coupe feel, as is increasingly the case in the offer. premium brands (Audi Q3 Sportback, BMW X2 among others).
But it is the first 100% electric Volvo built from the ground up to be just electric: “The C40 Recharge shows the future of Volvo and the direction we are heading”, explains Henrik Green, CTO (Chief Technology Officer) of the Swedish brand, which adds that "in addition to being fully electrical it will be available with a convenient maintenance package and will be quickly available to any customer when they make their purchase online".
Subscribe to our newsletter
This package will include maintenance (which in an electric car is less frequent), travel assistance, warranty and home charging options.
Technical base of the electric XC40
The propulsion system uses a 78 kWh battery and achieves a maximum output of 408 hp and 660 Nm thanks to two 204 hp and 330 Nm motors, one mounted on each axle and driving the respective wheels, giving it traction integral.
It has an autonomy of up to 420 km and the battery can be recharged in alternating current with a maximum power of 11 kW (it will take 7.5 hours for a full charge) or in direct current up to 150 kW (in which case it will take 40 minutes for a charge from 0 to 80%).
Even with a weight above 2150 kg, it manages to initial off-set accelerations (they should be similar to those of the XC40 Recharge, which “fires” in 4.9s from 0 to 100 km/h. Top speed is limited to 180 km/h ( less than in Polestar 2, which uses this same electrical system and reaches 205 km/h).
Gradually, customers will get used to the new off-site purchasing processes, in the same way that they will have to accept the fact that there is no longer upholstery covered in natural leather, replaced by synthetic materials more in line with the times when more we will live.
Infotainment equal to Polestar 2
Other important innovations in the interior, will be equipped with an Android infotainment system, developed by Google, which was debuted on the also electric Polestar 2. The software can be installed at any time through remote updates ("over the air"), that do not oblige dealers to travel.
The trunk has a capacity of 413 liters, as in the XC40 Recharge, with an additional 21 liters of storage at the front, under the hood.
When arrives?
After the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge, Volvo will launch several all-electric models, mainly in the second half of this decade. But by 2025, estimates by the Nords already point to half of their sales being 100% electric cars and the other half being plug-in hybrids.
The new C40 Recharge is expected to arrive on the market in the last quarter of this year with prices slightly above the XC40, in other words, slightly above 70 000 euros.