Volkswagen has unveiled its first fully electrified model dubbed the XC40 Recharge. It is essentially the entry-level XC40 crossover with an electric powertrain good enough to produce a maximum power output of 402 horsepower and 400 km of driving range on a single charge. The Swedish manufacturer has confirmed that the Recharge moniker will be used on all of its electric models, be it battery powered or PHEV.
During the course of the next half a decade, Volvo is aiming at introducing five new EVs and the XC40 Recharge harbingers the new range of vehicles. By 2025, Volvo wants half of its total global sales to come from electric vehicles and the rest half from hybrid vehicles. The XC40 Recharge uses dual electric motors each mounted on one axle. The lithium-ion battery has 78 kWh capacity and 75 kWh is usable.
The electric motors develop a maximum of 660 Nm of peak torque and the claimed range stands at 400 km on the WLTP cycle (322 km in EPA). It takes 40 minutes to replenish the battery to 80 per cent using 150 kW fast charger. On the outside, it looks similar to the regular XC40 except for minor design tweaks. The enclosed front grille is accompanied by black lower section, wing mirror caps and roof.
Sage Green is the new colour scheme added to the XC40 Recharge and the space left out by the absence of the IC-engine can be used to store some luggage. The ground clearance has also been lowered due to the battery pack that is mounted underneath the floor. It also features a new infotainment system powered by Google’s Android operating system.
It is fully integrated with Volvo’s On Call digital connected services and supports OTR updates, Google Assistant, Google Maps and Google Play Store. The Volvo XC40 Recharge could cost close to the Polestar 2 that is priced from nearly 66,000 USD (Rs. 47.13 lakh approximately) in Germany. It will go on sale in late 2020 in Europe before reaching the United States.
Thus, expect the Volvo XC40 Recharge to arrive on Indian shores sometime in late 2020 or early 2021. Customers purchasing the electric crossover from early 2020 will also get free electricity for a full year through a refund scheme. The luxury space in India will be highly active with the launches of zero-emission models predictably in 2020 and beyond.
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