Volvo announced that its lineup will consist only of electric cars by the end of this decade. And it took a step toward that goal by revealing a new fully electric car, the Volvo C40 Recharge.
Announced on Wednesday, the C40 Recharge is fairly similar to the other fully electric Volvo car, the XC40 Recharge, albeit it’s a little less of an SUV and more of a hatchback. Volvo says it has “all the benefits of an SUV,” including a high seating position, but with an overall lower, sleeker design.
Visually, the C40 is a more muscular, slightly higher take on the hatchback, that shares just enough DNA with an SUV to be attractive to, well, pretty much everyone, judging by SUV and crossover sales figures.
Image: volvo
The C40 is powered by twin electric motors, one on the front and one on the rear axle, and gets power from a 78kWh battery that has a range of around 420 kilometers (or about 260 miles) according to Volvo, though the company hopes to improve that over time with over-the-air software updates. The car accelerates from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds with a top speed of 112 mph. Volvo says fast charging will get you 80 percent battery in about 40 minutes.
Image: volvo
Inside, the C40 Recharge will have the same infotainment system as the XC40. It’s jointly developed by Google and Volvo, based on Android, and comes with built-in Google apps and services such as Maps, Assistant and Play Store.
Volvo will be offering the C40 online only in order to “reduce complexity” of its model offering. The company plans to start manufacturing the C40 Recharge this fall in its plant in Ghent, Belgium, though there’s no word on the availability date or price.
As for its roadmap, Volvo says the C40 is one of several electric models that will become available “in the coming years.” The company says gas engines are a thing of the past, and plans to only offer electric models by 2030. With the move, Volvo joins numerous other car manufacturers, including Ford, GM and Jaguar Land Rover, who have promised to switch to electric cars only (or mostly) in the next five to 10 years.