At a studio in Los Angeles California. Volvo electric car launch event has been held. Volvo, the brand known for keeping families safe took the wraps off its first fully electric car, Volvo XC 40 recharge.
Yes. it looks very much like the current gasoline-powered model. The SPA architecture it rides on was designed from the start to be electrified. Volvo engineers say it’s not just a gas car with a battery wedged in. this is not a review it’s simply a recap of the launch event held in Los Angeles we weren’t able to drive it. I’m letting long stretches of the event runs so you can see what the automotive press experienced. edited a bit for brevity. Because well I care.
We want to offer people the freedom to move in a sustainable way. and also be frank about the climate issue cannot and will not be solved slowly and gradually by improving petrol and diesel engines. pure electric cars running on and built using renewable energy or the only cars that can really do it. and also be honest about the fact that electric cars are better for the environment when they are driven. but building an electric car consumes more energy than a car with an internal combustion engine.
So it all comes back to both running cars and building cars comes back to the supply for renewable power, wind, water, and sun. Now, this isn’t it. this is an issue the car industry alone cannot solve. we need cities, we need states, we need countries, we need help to build an infrastructure and supply of renewable energy. it’s a car of firsts and it’s a car of the future.
A brief overview of Volvo electric car
It’s the first Volvo to run an infotainment system that will have an experience as good as that of your mobile phone. it’s the first Volvo to continuously become better over time because its software is updated always over-the-air. and most importantly the XC40 recharge is the first fully electric car from Volvo. and let’s talk a bit about it it’s electric without compromise. in fact, the ex 40 recharge adds storage space. compared to the internal-combustion variant. by adding space and storage when a combustion engine normal is in the front.
The recharge is an all-wheel-drive vehicle with twin motors Volvo says the range should be around 200 miles in real-world usage. the cells in the liquid-cooled 78-kilowatt-hour battery pack are produced by LG Chem and CA TL. Volvo electric car is being Volvo, it tested the safety of the pack in all sorts of impact situations to make sure that the cells were protected as much as the occupants. notice how the battery is stacked here and shaped with cutouts here. it’s to optimize packaging passengers in the rear seat above the battery and the shape allows a generous foot room.
Technical specification of Volvo XC40 EV
Okay for those who are interested let’s talk a bit about the technical specification. what are we looking at here? starting with a battery we’re looking at a battery with a 78-kilowatt hour of energy capacity. 408 horsepowers. into electrical machines then adding up to 300 kilowatts. so together they give you the impressive 660 Newton meters of torque and 0 to 100 in an SUV in 4.9 seconds. To make the car feel more personal, we are fundamentally rethinking infotainment. now powered with Android. the new infotainment system of first unprecedented personalization. and it’s more intuitive than any system like it before.
High Priority to the Infotainment System
We’ve been in joint development with Google for years now and it’s really a pleasure and we’re super excited to stand here today. and launch this technology in this new car. now of course the course is fully connected. they come with Google Assistant Google Maps and with evolve with a new array of automotive apps developed by the global developer community for Android. now the real-time maps will keep the drivers informed about upcoming traffic situations to avoid congestion. to save energy. and of course as well to suggest the nearest charging station. when you’re running low. and also let’s admit that voice controlling courses have historically had the issues.
Now, this completely changes with the Google Assistant. this will be a voice control that works every time you use it and that will understand what you’re trying to do. exactly as your Google assistant at home or on your phone which gets better basically every day. so does the assistant in the car. and in fact, the whole car gets better over time.
Over the Air (OTA) Updates are supported in this Volvo electric car
The XE 40 recharge is our first Volvo to receive updates over-the-air. both for the operating system itself but also for all software inside the vehicle. it can be updated over there.
Financial Approaches
While Volvo isn’t abandoning its dedication to safety it’s adding a commitment to becoming environmentally sound. that the first approach is to go for a 4% PF sales in the US market to 20. that is a huge statement and that kind of investment is the segue into electrification. because there’s a lot of question marks related to you know charging capabilities and people are nervous. so we need to help each other to overcome that Carnaval that they are nervous. that’s the first kind of a decision that car is already ordered and the capacities already in place.
It plans to make all-electric vehicles 50% of global sales by 2025 with the rest being hybrids. today 60% of our carbon footprint comes from the tailpipe emission of a car. so here it’s critical that we take action our industry is currently finally in a transition phase form internal combustion engines towards a fully electric future. but that transition is slow. what hinders the pace or a number of things it’s the affordability of vehicles its access to shorting infrastructure. and it’s also the time a chain takes to change consumer behaviors and habits and with limited charging infrastructure, consumers are hesitating to buy full-electric cars.
plug-in hybrids help solve part of that conundrum. plug-in hybrids also help customers get used to electric cars. what are my driving patterns where can I charge? how can I make short-chain power to my daily routine? and again the tailpipe emission is the biggest driver of our carbon footprint. so we must make sure it comes down now so. we want to do what we can to adapt to make sure they increase the adoption of fully electric and part-time electric cars.
An impressive offer
So we have another exciting piece of news today we announce that every Volvo research plug-in hybrid cars count with one year of free electricity. the more you make use of your car motor. the more you save. the offer is valid in all our Volvo whole markets and it’s valid for all plug-in cars starting today(the date that Volvo electric car announced). and just to share with you a bit of a story. how far we have come in just a few years.
Martina. our head of procurement together with myself we’re meeting with all the major battery suppliers. we were sitting down together we were reviewing the requirement of the requirement line for the new batteries. and we were constantly adamantly pushing on sustainability. what about sustainability. how about sustainability. already in our second meeting, we could see this change. we met the suppliers again and on top of their agenda. At that time we could see sustainability.
Partnerships
Now today a few years later only we stand together strongly committed to work to us renewable energy for all batteries and production together with our global partners. and of course to comply with the responsible and ethical supply chain. Volvo engineers stress that the interior space on the XC 40 recharge is the same as the regular gas motor.
At a glance
Inside you’ll find it doesn’t really look all that different from the XC40 you can buy today. and that’s a good thing. materials are high-quality and there’s a good amount of space. visibility is excellent too. in back – people will be perfectly comfortable with generous Headroom. at first glance, it appears the most remarkable thing about the XC 40 recharge is that it’s remarkably normal. the recharge will be built in China and Belgium and 80% charge using home level 2 charging should take about seven and a half hours. with commercial fast charging, you’re looking at 40 minutes.
Pricing
Volvo dealers are taking deposits now for delivery in late 2020 the price tag is going to be around $55,000. but does not include any tax credits the federal tax credit is $7,500 on this one.
You may also like to read: Hyundai Kona Electric Ultimate In-depth Review 2020
