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XC40 P6 Recharge is a cheaper Volvo EV for SA
Volvo has announced a cheaper version of its XC40 EV. The Swedish company has become a notable change agent in the quest for zero tailpipe emission motoring.
Electric vehicles are wincingly expensive in South Africa. Even Volvo’s own XC40 p8 Recharge retails for a rather significant R1 260 000.
With the XC40 P6 Recharge, product planners at Volvo have trimmed the price to R1 075 000. And customers won’t sacrifice the XC40’s comfortable cabin architecture or amenities, opting for a P6 recharge.
Can one motor be as good, as two?
Standard specification is generous. The XC40 P6 comes with a panoramic sunroof, heated seats and inductive Smartphone charging. Volvo’s most haptic Android-powered touchscreen infotainment system is onboard, too.
But what’s the power delivery and range like? Unlike the XC40 P8, the P6 version has a single electric motor, driving the front wheels.
Peak power is 170kW, with 330Nm of torque. That’s about the equivalent of what you’d get with a sophisticated 2-litre turbopetrol engine. The P8 Recharge, with its dual electric motors, is a lot more powerful, producing 300kW and 660Nm.
Volvo claims potent 0-100km/h acceleration in 7.4 seconds. Like many other electric vehicles, top speed is limited in the interest of battery range, at 160km/h.
Good range – and an option to go further
Feeding energy into the XC40 P6 Recharge’s drivetrain, is a 69kWh lithium-ion battery pack. And the range? Volvo claims 423km, on a single charge. In ideal driving conditions.
What makes the XC40 P6 Recharge such a compelling option is how Volvo South Africa’s is structuring its marketing efforts.
You get a wallbox home charger as part of the purchase price and the use of a petrol Volvo, for two weeks per year, for up to three years.
That two week loan agreement is ideal when those long-range journeys need to be done. And you are concerned that the XC40 P6 Recharge might not make it from a major South African city, to your Kalahari vacation destination, without running out of battery energy.
