Volvo Launches The XC40 Recharge In India
It’s powered by two electric motors, jointly offering 402bhp.
It was in November 2020 when Volvo India announced that the XC40 Recharge would go on sale in 2021, nearly two years after its global debut. But that didn’t happen, courtesy of the infamous pandemic. Now, however, the wait is officially over. Volvo’s first-ever electric vehicle (EV) has landed on Indian shores, wearing a price tag of INR 55.90 lakh. To put things in perspective, the conventionally-powered XC40 T4 R-Design costs INR 44.50 lakh.
There are two main reasons why the XC40 Recharge costs more than its petrol-powered sibling. First is the EV technology, which still is quite expensive. And second, the zero-emission vehicle has all the bells and whistles in its package.
Powering the Volvo XC40 Recharge are two electric motors, one for each axle. The setup offers an electric all-wheel-drive system with 402bhp/660Nm on tap. Even though the EV weighs more than 2.1 tonnes, it can still hit 100kmph from a standstill in 4.9 seconds and clock 180kmph at full stretch. The powertrain gets its juices from a 78kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which supports AC (slow) and DC (fast) charging.
Charging times? From an 11kW AC charger, for instance, the XC40 Recharge could take between 8 to 10 hours to replenish the battery from zero to 100 per cent. However, the SUV can also be plugged into a 150kW DC charger, which will juice up the battery from zero to 80 per cent in roughly 40 minutes. According to WLTP, the Volvo XC40 Recharge can travel up to 418km on a single charge.
As you’d expect, the SUV in question is handsomely equipped with features. The list includes a 600-watt, 13-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, a PM2.5 air purifier, a 12-inch digital instrument cluster, a Google-powered touchscreen infotainment system and full-LED headlamps. The XC40 Recharge also has a 360-degree camera, adaptive cruise control, powered front seats, Hill Descent Control, dual-zone automatic climate control and a panoramic roof.
Let’s face it: the Volvo XC40 Recharge EV has a strong CV. However, it doesn’t offer the room or practicality that similarly-priced petrol or diesel SUVs would offer. And what’s more, Volvo doesn’t have the space to itself in that price bracket. At one end, there’s the Mini Cooper SE and at the other, we have the Kia EV6 and the BMW i4.
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