Volvo introduces big updates for the XC40 and C40 EVs

KUALA LUMPUR: Volvo's pure electric lineup has received an important upgrade in the international market. Both the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge now come with a new rear-wheel drive powertrain, a larger battery pack for the all-wheel drive mill, and faster charging capabilities.

Also read: 2023 Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric: In Pictures

First thing first, the RWD powertrain has made a comeback on Volvo cars after a hiatus of 25 years. The new Single Motor rear-wheel drive unit replaces the front-wheel-drive setup and churns out a maximum power output of 238 PS with an increase of 3% over the previous one. While the new motor is paired with the same 69-kWh battery pack, it offers improved cooling which leads to a better range. The XC40 range improves from 425 to 460 km and the C40 now runs 476 km instead of 438 km. 

Performance-wise, the new RWD unit does not bring any change as EVs still take 7.4 seconds to hit the century sprint. 

Coming to the updated AWD mill, this powertrain benefits from new electric motors manufactured by the automaker in-house. However, the new setup delivers the same combined output of 408 PS as well as the same acceleration times i.e. 4.9 sec for the XC40 Recharge and 4.7 sec for the C40 Recharge. 

But, what’s more significant here is the larger battery pack. The automaker ditched the 78-kWh lithium-ion battery pack in favour of a new 82-kWh unit which lets the EVs run for more kilometres on a single charge. The XC40 range has increased to 500 km (up by 62 km) and the C40 now offers 507 km (up by 56 km). Also adding to the SUV’s efficiency are the new 19-inch wheels. 

Volvo electric SUVs are now able to handle 200-kW DC fast charging, which is a welcoming update over the current limit of 150-kW DCFC. The bigger battery can now charge from 10% to 80% in just 28 mins.

“These updates are another big step in our work towards becoming a fully electric car maker by 2030. Range and charging times are new key factors for more and more of our customers, and these improvements make our fully electric models even more attractive than they already were,” said Volvo COO, Javier Varela.

Well, the new versions of the EVs are currently restricted to global markets. We hope Volvo Malaysia will introduce them to local shores soon.

Also read: Volvo Cars Malaysia records a y-o-y growth of 43% in 2022