The Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo has entered the Indian electric vehicle segment with the XC40 Recharge EV, a fully electric vehicle.With the introduction of this vehicle in the market, Volvo has made an important announcement regarding the electric vehicle. Volvo has announced that it will build one electric vehicle each year from 2021, and the XC40 is considered the first step in this direction.
The bookings for the EV start from June this year. The car is priced around 60 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi).
According to the manufacturers, electric vehicles will account for 80 per cent of Volvo’s sales in India by 2025 and 50 per cent of sales in the global market. The company said Volvo was trying to take the helm of India’s electric vehicle industry. Even though the first vehicle introduced is an SUV, the company will be introducing electric cars in all segments later. Along with the XC40 Recharge, the electric vehicles of Volvo’s flagship models s90 and XC60 may also arrive. Currently, the XC90 is a plug-in hybrid vehicle. However, in addition to other models, the company is also looking at building more electric vehicles.
The new XC40 has a 78kWh battery which produces a power of 408bhp and a torque of 660Nm. The car accelerates from 0 to 100kmph in 4.9 seconds. The top speed of the EV is 180kmph. An AC charger or DC charger can be used for charging the car. The DC charger can charge the vehicle up to 80% in 40 minutes. The range of the car is 418 km, according to WLTP certification. This vehicle is the first Volvo model equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). The car has a length of 4,425 mm, a width of 1,873 mm and a height of 1,652 mm. The Volvo has a ground clearance of 176 mm. The kerb weight of the vehicle is 2188 kg. Speaking to Autocar India, Charles Frump, managing director, Volvo Car India, has said, “We will be able to have a very good offer on the XC40 EV for the customers, compared to the petrol version. Of course, it’ll be more expensive, but I think the gap between the petrol and the BEV will be much less.” In 2018, Volvo announced the launch of electric vehicles in India. Following this, it was promised to bring four electric cars to India by 2021. However, it is reported that Volvo is currently preparing new plans for the production of electric cars to flush out all IC engines and electrify the entire portfolio by 2030.
