Volvo will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April

The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric — the first all-electric vehicle from the Swedish automaker — will be launched in SA during the second half of 2021. Equipped with twin electric motors delivering 304kW and 660Nm worth of torque this striking SUV offers surprisingly sprightly performance with a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 4.9 seconds.

While no slouch off the line, the XC40 Recharge also scores highly in the practicality stakes. The lack of a combustion engine frees up space for an additional 30-litre storage compartment under the front bonnet, while the placement of the batteries under the centre of the car means space is not compromised elsewhere. This also has a positive effect on weight distribution as most of the vehicle's mass lives between the two axles.

What can you expect in terms of range? Well according to Greg Maruszewski, MD at Volvo Car SA, the XC40 Recharge is capable of travelling more than 400km on a single charge. Charging time is equally impressive. “It can be charged to 80% of its battery capacity in as little as 40 minutes using a fast charger,” Maruszewski reveals.

XC40 Recharge owners will be able to charge their vehicle at a dealership, at home or at one of the ever-growing network of public charging stations. Volvo Car SA is also rolling out an extensive network of charging stations at its dealerships and, by the end of 2021, each Volvo dealership will have a dedicated electric vehicle (EV) charging station.

As it stands the XC40 Recharge is the first of five fully electric cars to be launched by the Swedish company over the next five years.

“Volvo Cars will launch a fully electric car every year, as we look to make all-electric cars 50% of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids,” Maruszewski explains. “Recharge will be the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain.”

The launch of the XC40 Recharge is a significant step towards Volvo Cars’ ambition to reduce its CO2 footprint per car by 40% by 2025.

“That same year, it expects 50% of its global sales to consist of fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids. But 2030, the company aims to only build electric cars,” Maruszewski elaborates.

In terms of the local market Maruszewski believes that the XC40 Recharge will find favour in SA.

“South Africans are already firm fans of the internal combustion engine-powered XC40; it had an 8.4% share of its segment in 2019; that grew to 14.7% in 2020. We look forward to bringing the huge benefits of electric driving — and more — to an already award-winning package,” he concludes.

Volvo dealers will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April. Deliveries will commence in August. The price of the XC40 Recharge will be confirmed later this month.