First Electric Volvo, an excellent caravan tractor
Volvo has introduced their very first fully electric model in Los Angeles: the XC40 Recharge. The newcomer will come to the Netherlands at the end of 2020 with prices starting from €59.900. Good news for caravan enthusiasts: this 100% electric car can tow a trailer of up to 1500 kilograms.
The electric Volvo should also be a sales success in the Netherlands. Not only because the XC40 is the only electric car in this class that can tow a significant amount of weight. The model is already one of the best-selling cars in the compact SUV segment. As an electric model, it will benefit from an 8 percent additional tax next year. Until now, the XC40 was only available with petrol or diesel engines and as a plug-in hybrid.
First Electric Volvo
The XC40 Recharge is the first of a completely new series of fully electric models and plug-in hybrids from Volvo. They all get the addition Recharge in their name. The XC40 Recharge can travel about 430 kilometers on batteries. The car is also suitable for so-called one pedal driving. If you release the accelerator pedal, it will brake to a complete stop. This means you hardly have to touch the brake pedal.
Acceleration
The electric Volvo gets off to a flashy start: it accelerates from a standstill to 4,9 kilometers per hour in just 100 seconds. The top speed is 180 km/h. The system power is 408 hp (300 kW) and the pulling force is 660 Nm. The electric drive also immediately entails 4×4 drive. Two electric motors drive the front and rear axles.
Loading the Volvo
The environmentally conscious Volvo has an 3 kW 11-phase charger on board. With a fast charger of up to 150 kW, the battery pack can be charged to 40 percent within 80 minutes. After just ten minutes of charging, you have already added 100 kilometers of driving range to the battery bank. At most charging connections, the car needs seven to eight hours to recharge empty batteries to 80 percent. Volvo gives a warranty on the battery pack for eight years or 160.000 kilometers.
Less luggage space
The electric drive system does come at the expense of more than 20 liters of luggage space. But on the other hand there is a new 31 liter storage space, where the engine is located in other models. For example, the charging cable can be stored here.
Updates
A complete first are 'over the air' software updates. All software in the car can be updated via an internet connection. You don't have to go to the garage for this. The electric Volvo also has a safety first. The car can avoid a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist fully automatically by carrying out a steering intervention itself.
The XC40 marks the beginning of a new era for Volvo. The brand has big plans to make its cars electric to be ready for the future
More information: www.volvocars.com
