More range, faster charging for Volvo duo

BY MATT BROGAN | 27th Apr 2023

VOLVO Car Australia has announced new powertrains and longer range for its upgraded C40 and XC40 Recharge fully electric SUVs. The upgrades attract price increases of between $3000 and $4500, depending on variant (see below).

With larger battery capacities that will deliver longer range and faster charging capabilities, the duo will include rear- and revised all-wheel drive options, making it the first time in a quarter of a century the Swedish marque has offered a rear-drive model.

In another first, the second-generation permanent magnet electric motor driving the rear axles of the C40 and XC40 Recharge are developed in-house at Volvo Cars.

The new-rear wheel drive powertrain offers a single 175kW permanent magnet electric motor, providing a three per cent increase over the outgoing single-motor, front-wheel drive variant.

In the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric (single motor), the same 69kWh battery pack is carried over, but with cooling enhancements that mean it can now delivery increased range of up to 460km (WLTP), up from 425km previously.

For the single-motor C40 Recharge Pure Electric, range increases to 476km (WLTP) from 438km, while a 10-80 per cent charge takes approximately 34 minutes using a 130kW DC fast charger.

Volvo Car Australia says its all-wheel drive variant also benefits from the updates, realising even more impressive range improvements. The outgoing model featured 150kW e-motors front and rear, which are replaced by a 183kW permanent magnet motor on the rear axle, and a new 117kW asynchronous electric motor on the front axle. Combined outputs remain unchanged at 300kW and 660Nm.

Standstill to 100km/h acceleration times are listed at 7.4 seconds for the single motor, and 4.9 seconds for the dual-motor.

Volvo says this new configuration, paired with an 82kWh battery pack and overall efficiency improvements in battery cooling, means the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric Twin (all-wheel drive) can now drive up to 500km on a single charge, a 62km improvement.

The range of the C40 Recharge Pure Electric Twin (all-wheel drive) has improved up to 507km from 451km (WLTP).

Charging power has improved as the larger battery pack allows for fast charging at an updated top rate of 200kW DC (previously 150kW DC maximum), while a 10-80 per cent charge takes approximately 28 minutes, a nine-minute improvement.

Visually, the updated models are differentiated by new 19-inch alloy wheels that Volvo says are aerodynamically enhanced to further improve efficiency.

“These updates are another big step in our stated local strategy of becoming fully electric by 2026,” said Volvo Car Australia managing director, Stephen Connor.

“Two of the most frequently asked questions customers ask about our fully electric XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge are: ‘How far will it go on a single charge?’ and ‘How long does it take to charge?’

“These upgrades address those questions and will make our fully electric models even more attractive than they already were.

“The powertrain and battery upgrades in XC40 and C40 Recharge models will help us achieve this goal and accomplish our aspiration of selling 20,000 fully electric cars every year in Australia.”

Mr Connor said the upgrades are part of the new model year (MY24) introductions, with the vehicles set to commence arriving in the third quarter of this year – but available to order now.

2024 Volvo C40 Recharge Pure Electric