Volvo introduces pure electric C40 SUV and will only sell it online

Volvo has added the all-electric C40 Recharge car to its lineup and says that, as with its other all-electric models, it will only sell it online.

Joining the XC40 Recharge which will be available in Australia from August, the C40 Recharge SUV has an anticipated driving range of 420km and, with a low profile, indicates Volvo’s direction for electric vehicles in the future.

“The C40 Recharge represents the future of Volvo and shows where we are going,” Henrik Green, Volvo’s chief technology officer, said in a statement.

“It’s all-electric, offered online with just a convenient care package, and will be available for quick delivery. Getting a new Volvo has never been so attractive. “

It is also just one of a series of fully electric vehicles that the Swedish-Chinese automaker intends to introduce in the coming years.

Today, it also announced that it will stop selling any combustion engine cars, including hybrids, starting in 2030, and it also wants 50% of its sales to be electric starting in 2025.

The C40 Recharge with its low roofline also presents a new face for Volvo, including pixel headlights and a clean-cut look.

Inside, Volvo says that despite the sleek exterior, there is still room for seats in high positions, and seemingly in keeping with its eco-friendly status, it will be completely leather-free and feature a large sunroof.

After you have developed your infotainment system in collaboration with Google, expect applications and services from Google, including Maps, Assistant and the Google Play Store.

The connectivity also includes unlimited data (although Volvo notes that the features mentioned in this version may not finally come as standard), so that the vehicle can benefit from wireless software updates.

The anticipated 420km driving range will come thanks to a 78kWh battery that Volvo says can be charged to 80% in 40 minutes, and that with future updates it expects the range to increase.

The new C40 Recharge will be built alongside the XC40 Recharge at Volvo Cars’ manufacturing plant in Ghent, Belgium, with production starting in the Northern Hemisphere fall.

Specifications may differ for markets outside of Europe.

Bridie Schmidt is a lead reporter for The Driven, sister site to Renew Economy. He specializes in writing about new technologies and has been writing about electric vehicles for two years. She has a keen interest in the role zero-emission transportation should play in sustainability and is a co-organizer of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum.