Once you’re on the move, you’re likely to be surprised by just how refined the XC40 P8 is – because it’s impressively hushed. The first thing you’ll notice is that there’s no starter button the car uses a seat sensor to trigger its key detection, so you can just get in, push it into D and drive, like a Tesla. It stacks up well when you get behind the wheel, though. Volvo’s offering is in the mix, in other words – but on paper, far from a stand-out favourite. The Jaguar I-Pace is larger and more expensive (although not by much), but BMW’s upcoming iX3 is a closer match, offering a bit more cabin space, luggage capacity, and range than the XC40. It’s better to compare this car with other EVs of its size – and there aren’t too many of those. That hefty battery means that home charging is a bit more of a chore, of course, but a full charge on a domestic wallbox can take from less than eight hours – so overnight charging shouldn’t be a problem. That’s respectable, not stellar.Īt least you get 150kW DC charging as standard, capable of adding up to 80 per cent of capacity in 40 minutes (or around 88km of range every 10 minutes). This car weighs 2.2 tonnes – hefty for something with the footprint of a Ford Focus – and as a result, even that large battery can only manage 418km between charges. The perils of adding extra cells are aptly demonstrated by the XC40’s mass and range, mind you. That’s a serious amount of power and torque for a small family SUV and, sure enough, the electric XC40’s performance figures are startling: 0-100km/h takes a whisker under five seconds, and the top speed is 180km/h – relatively high for an EV. The XC40 P8’s lithium-ion battery has a capacity of 78kWh (usable capacity is 75kWh) and this powers a pair of identical electric motors – one on each axle – producing a combined total of 300kW and 660Nm. But don’t think that the XC40 P8 is really just a PHEV with bells on, because the car’s CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform has allowed the firm’s engineers to pack in specs that are punchy, to say the least. Of course, we’ve tried a plug-in XC40 before, because Volvo already sells a hybrid version. Read the latest full price and specification story here. It will launch in Australia quarter three 2021, priced at $76,990 plus on-road costs. It’s a sign of how quickly Volvo has to move to meet its target – and a reminder of how important this new model is. But this car, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8, is its first full EV. Volvo has hit the headlines with its approach to electrification, with the company stating that half of its sales will be fully electric by 2025. We drive the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric ahead of its launch in Australia later this year.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |