Volvo XC40 Recharge Electric SUV Being Evaluated For Indian Market

According to the recent reports from carandbike, the Swedish auto manufacturer is considering the launch of its XC40 electric SUV in India. Back in 2018, the company had announced that it will be launching 4 new electrified vehicles in the next three years in the country.

Volvo is committed to improve the environment and support the electrified future by converting its entire line-up of vehicles to feature some form of electrification. The company announced in 2019 that all vehicles launching globally from that year will be electrified, and now India has also been added to that list as well.

The all-electric XC40 Recharge has been successfully received in the international markets and has given a boost to the company's plan for electrification of its vehicles. In an interview with a media publication recently, Charles Frump, Managing Director, Volvo Car India, stated that the company will evaluate for the Indian market based on the response received from the European and other international markets.

The Volvo XC90 was the first plug-in hybrid model that was launched by the brand in 2019. The company has begun assembling the XC90 plug-in hybrid SUV in India at its facility in Bengaluru by the end of 2019. As a result, the XC40 Recharge, when launched in India, is also expected to be assembled in the country.

Speaking about the Volvo XC40 Recharge, it is built on the new Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform that underpins both combustion engine models and battery-powered vehicles as well. The electric SUV looks identical to the standard XC40, however, there are subtle changes made to the electric-SUV. This includes a new white-finished grille up front with a large Volvo badge, and absence of dual-exhaust setup; among others. With a missing engine under the hood, the XC40 Recharge features a small storage space of 31 litres at the front.

The new Volvo XC40 Recharge SUV features two 150 kW electric motors mounted at either axel that is coupled to a 78kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The electric powertrain produces 402bhp and 659Nm of peak torque. In comparison, the standard Volvo XC40 produces 187bhp from its 2.0-litre diesel.

However, the battery pack and two electric motors mean that the XC40 Recharge is about 500 kilos heavier than the standard model. The XC40 Recharge can accelerate from 0 to 100kmph in 4.9 seconds. The electric motors send power to all four wheels via the electric all-wheel drive set-up. The electric-SUV offers a claimed range of 400 km on a single charge. It also features fast charging from which it can juice up the battery by up to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes.

Thoughts About The Volvo XC 40 Recharge Electric SUV Being Evaluated For Indian Market

Globally, there has been a major shift from combustion-powered vehicles to electrified or plug-in hybrid cars. The company aims to support the transition by making its entire line-up to feature some form of electrification. Although the shift in India is not as significant as compared to other countries across the world, we are seeing more manufactures moving to a greener form of mobility. The XC40 Recharge will certainly start thighs of for electric-vehicles at the higher end of the price scale when launched in India.