With the purchase of an XC40 EV, Volvo includes 250 kWh of fast charging in DC, followed by a year-long membership in discounted power from Electrify America stations. According to Volvo, you will get 257 miles between charges with an electric XC40. More than 200 miles of range should be enough for most drivers, particularly with the 150kW DC charging that takes the Volvo back up from nearly empty to 80 percent charge in about 35 minutes. The S90 plug-in hatchback manages 21 miles of driving with just the battery, while Volvos spec-laden XC90 is only rated at 18 miles of EV driving.
One thing worth noting is that, unlike most EVs currently on the market, particularly at this price, the XC40 Recharge actually comes with four-wheel drive as standard. The P8 EV XC40 Recharge is Volvos first fully electric car (unless you count the Polestar 2), but Volvo has dabbled with plug-in hybrids, which have all had relatively limited ranges. Electric would have seemed like a natural fit for Volvos customers psychographics, and the electric XC40 Recharge P8 validates that notion, all while underscoring the limitations of using the same shared platform for completely different powertrains. The Volvo XC40 Recharge P8 is the fully electric version of the Swedish utility vehicle, promising a 257-mile driving range with sport-car-like speed.
The Volvo XC40 Electric — or, as its full name is, Recharge P8 — is a sleek, premium fully electric SUV designed to take on the likes of Teslas Model Y and the Audi Q4 E-tron. The XC40 Recharge P8 is available now, priced from a hefty PS49,950, and tasked with convincing the still-wavering punters into Volvos first fully electric offering, trimmed in an intelligently styled Scandinavian-inspired cabin, instead of that of the BMW iX3, (Ford) Mustang Mach-E, Jaguar I-Pace, Tesla Model Y, or the VW ID.4. Volvos first fully electric offering looks identical to its ICE and PHEV siblings, apart from a now-necessary bare-bones exterior grille in full body paint colour, and the Recharge branding from Volvo in the C-pillars. With Volvos Polaris spin-off doing another kind of work, Volvos Recharge is the companys sub-brand, the one that will cover all its hybrids or all-electric cars.
The Recharges Android Automotive OS is very similar to that of the Polestar 2, and is also found now on other Volvos, such as the 2022 XC60 and the V90 Cross Country. The XC40 Recharge P8 Electric rides on Volvos compact modular architecture platform, as does the XC40 gas-powered model (and Polestar 2), so the driving characteristics of the Recharge are very much similar to those in the gas-powered vehicle. Sleek, fun to drive, and quite funky, the regular XC40 Recharge is everything that I like about Volvos. The Recharge looks almost exactly like a cylinder-powered XC40, except for a front grille that is been obliterated.
The gas door has been replaced by the charging port, and the Recharge badge is seen discreetly along the C-pillar, but not much else. The exterior includes the Recharge script along the C-pillar, and a charging door to the left of the car, both seen in PHEV versions as well. The Recharge has the same full-black interior as the normal R-design XC40 trim, except there is no push-button start: simply step into the Recharge with your keys in hand, it will turn on automatically, and you are away. The little, 2-box silhouette is framed by some simply beautiful LED lighting everywhere, and the Recharge model does not really differentiate itself much from a standard gas-powered version.
No prizes for guessing this is a fully-electric version of the XC40 Hybrid, and those with more mechanical senses will notice the Recharge shares its twin-motor platform with the Polestar 2. This is the all-electric version of the XC40 crossover, which first arrived here with a T5 (gas-only) AWD powertrain way back in 2018, followed by a Recharge T5 (gas-only) T5 (gas-only) plug-in hybrid this past February. With this revelation, car buyers wanting an XC40 crossover soon have three powertrains to choose from, with the existing T5 AWD and the Recharge T5, and the newcomer being the Recharge P8 AWD. For charging, the XC40 supports AC charging of 11kW over Type-2 connections, taking around 7.5 hours for a full charge.
Like most manufacturers, Volvo recommends that you configure the Voltaic charging on Volvos XC40 to stop charging once you have maxed out the battery at 90%, which is better for long-term battery health; you should only recharge up to 100% if needed for extended trips. In the case of the XC40 Recharge, these 11kW helps to disguise its performance shortcomings, given that feeding a similarly-efficient car the same amount of energy would increase its range by less in the same time frame. Volvos XC40 Recharges eager acceleration from its front- and rear-mounted e-motors, which are rated at 201 hp per unit, combines with a satisfying ride and competent handling to make for a responsive, attractive car. Two electric motors drive the XC40 Recharge four-wheel-drive, delivering 402 horsepower and 486 pound-feet of torque in total.
The company uses the phrase “hassle-free pricing,” which is the MSRP for the pure EV XC40 Recharge Pure Electric (we will just call it XC40 EV for short), with public charging cable (likely Type-2 for AC chargers); a maintenance pack; five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty; an eight-year, 160,000-kilometer battery warranty; and five years of roadside assistance. The XC40 EVs direct competition in the space for premium compact EVs is Mercedes-Benzs EQA, launched last week, with roughly the same range, but half the wattage, offered in the single-spec EQA 250 AMG Line option, priced at RMB 278,201.25.
