Volvo's C40 EV to go into production later this year

There has been a great shift in the electric vehicle stable with almost every manufacturer pushing to at least have an electrified model in its line up in the foreseeable future. 

With that said, Volvo is planning to have 50% of its global sales volume to consist of fully electric cars by the year 2025 with the rest being hybrids. However, by 2030, the Swedish carmaker plans for every car it sells to be pure electric. 

As a manner of showing its commitment to a zero-emission future, Volvo has unveiled its new C40 Recharge that is based on the CMA vehicle platform and is touted to go into production in September 2021. 

“The C40 Recharge represents the future of Volvo and shows where we are going,” said Henrik Green, chief technology officer. “It is fully electric, offered online only with a convenient care package and will be available for quick delivery. Getting a new Volvo was never this attractive.”

The new Volvo C40 Recharge boasts a coupe-like design cue with a sloping lower roof-line as well as a new face for electric Volvos. The headlights come equipped with pixel-technology.  

Inside, it is available with a range of colour and deco options that customers can choose from and for the first time in a Volvo car, it is leather-free, as part of the manufacturer’s objectives of sustainability. 

There’s also an infotainment system that has been jointly developed with Google and based on the Android operating system. The system incorporates Google apps, Google Maps, Google Assistant as well as Google Play Store. 

The Volvo C40 Recharge’s unlimited data enables connectivity that enables the vehicle to receive software updates over the air.

Powering the new Volvo C40 are two electric motors situated on the front and rear axle plus a 78 kWh battery pack that can be recharged to 80 per cent in approximately 40 minutes. 

According to Volvo, the C40 Recharge can travel up to 420 km on a single charge and that will improve over time via over-the-air software upgrades. 

The fully electric C40 Recharge will be available online only and comes with a convenient care package that includes items such as service, warranty, roadside assistance, as well as insurance and home charging options.

The C40 Recharge, as mentioned, will go into production in September 2021 and will be built alongside the XC40 Recharge at the Volvo Cars manufacturing plant in Ghent, Belgium.