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.
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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.
