The first all-electric Volvo is also the first Volvo that will continue to improve, the automaker said Wednesday.
Volvo rolled out the all-electric XC40 Recharge compact crossover in Los Angeles and said the electric vehicle will have two 150-kw electric motors, one on each axle, that combine to make 402 net horsepower and will be powered by a 78-kwh lithium-ion battery pack. That battery will manage 248 miles of range, measured on the more optimistic WLTP standard. Volvo said we should expect more than 200 miles in the U.S., though EPA estimates aren't yet available. On a fast-charger, Volvo says the XC40 Recharge will replenish its battery from zero to 80 percent in about 40 minutes.
2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge
The XC40 Recharge will arrive in the U.S. by the end of 2020 and cost less than $48,000, which includes a federal tax credit of up to $7,500.
Volvo said the XC40 Recharge will receive over-the-air updates, the first Volvo with the technology, and Volvo Chief Technology Officer Henrik Green claimed the updates will give buyers better, fresher vehicles throughout their car’s life cycle.
"The best XC40 won't be the one you drive on the first day," he said.
Teaser for electric Volvo XC40 debuting on October 16, 2019
The XC40 Recharge also will be the first application for Volvo’s Android-based infotainment system that updates Sensus to a more-modern architecture. Although Google Voice Assistant and other Google applications will be baked into the new infotainment system, including a new driver interface, Volvo has said the XC40 Recharge will be compatible with Apple CarPlay.
Volvo didn’t specify many battery details beyond the XC40 Recharge’s 78-kwh capacity. The XC40 Recharge leads the way for Volvo’s Recharge line of electrified vehicles—plug-in hybrid and battery electric. Green said Volvo will introduce one fully electric vehicle each year until 2025 and by then, Volvo expects half of its sales to be of fully electric vehicles. Volvo says it will reduce its carbon footprint by 40 percent by 2025 too, eventually becoming carbon-neutral by 2040.
When it arrives, the 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge will compete with other small electric crossovers such as the Hyundai Kona EV, Kia Soul EV, and BMW iX3.
