Get sparked with the electric Volvo XC40

Although we have no idea how much the soon-to-be-released Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric will set you back, we can tell you that you will be able to drive roughly 480km before needing to recharge.

A seamless electric driving experience with intuitive tech and Google built in, you as a potential new owner of the XC40 will be able to immerse yourself in a premium media and audio experience once the Swedish luxury brand SUV hits our shores in the second quarter of 2021.

Internationally, the all-electric sport utility vehicle has shown strong sales with thousands of orders already having been placed.

At the start of production at the Belgium plant on October 1 last year, every car scheduled to be built that calendar year had already been sold.

It’s simple – Covid-19 has left a dent in many a vehicle owner’s pocket, and why should you pay more for fuel when a more luxurious electric alternative is available.

It also won’t cost you your remaining kidney to drive.

But enough about the sales pitch, let’s instead talk about how it compares to a standard fuel-run SUV.

First off, the XC40 sports twin electric motors producing 304kW of power and 660 Nm of torque to deliver a 0-100km/h time of just 4.9 seconds!

Filling up the tank of your fuel-run SUV may not take 40 minutes, but you sure can enjoy a cup of coffee while waiting for the XC40 to charge to 80% of its capacity in that time.

One thing Covid-19 has taught us is that we tend to drive around with our life packed into our cars.

With practicality in mind and the lack of an internal combustion engine, this SUV sports an additional 30-litre storage compartment under the front bonnet.

You may not have to update the software of your standard car yourself, but if you had to, would you?

The XC40 Recharge is designed to start receiving automatic over the air updates in 2021.

Once available, you’ll enjoy a car that gets better all the time.

And with a fully integrated Google Maps system, you’ll be able to enjoy the best-in-class navigation an electric car has to offer.

Increasing the use of sustainable materials is just one way the XC40 Recharge helps reduce its environmental impact even further.

For example, the interior carpeting is made entirely from recycled plastic, an attractive feature for the environmentally conscious road user.

The XC40 also boasts with 360° parking view with four cameras and flank sensors increasing awareness of objects at the side of the car – in short, you can park just about anywhere, quite confidently and easily.

The XC40 Recharge doesn’t force you to choose between power and responsible driving.

Just take your seat, select a gear and enjoy the comfort of one pedal drive and the impressive strength of twin electric motors and all-wheel drive with zero tailpipe emissions.

Greg Maruszewski, managing director at Volvo Car South Africa believes that the XC40 Recharge will find favour in South Africa.

“South Africans are already firm fans of the internal combustion engine-powered XC40. It had an 8.4% share of its segment in 2019; which grew to 14.7% in 2020. We look forward to bringing the huge benefits of electric driving and more to an already award-winning package,” he said.

Volvo dealers will start taking orders for the XC40 Recharge in April.

The price will be confirmed later this month.