Volvo have launched their new C40 Recharge with Care by Volvo – a new customer experience, with sales available online only. This is Volvo’s first car to be sold online and will be electric only. The Volvo C40 features a lower and sleeker roofline, pixel technology headlights, a 78 kw/h battery which will charge to 80% in 40 mins and should get approx 420 km range. Over the air software updates and improved infotainment using Android systems are included and the C40 will come with unlimited data for all those software downloads. Pure electric Volvo’s will also be leather free in a further move to more environmentally friendly materials. The C40 Recharge will be available in Ireland from 2022.
Recharge is Volvo’s new line of pure electric and plug-in hybrid cars, designed with sustainable driving in mind. Across the next five years, Volvo will launch five new fully electric cars, by 2025, 50% of Volvo’s lines will be electric, aiming to reduce the total operational carbon emissions by 25% per vehicle from the previous 3 years. Recently Ford committed to going fully electric by 2030, while Jaguar aims for an all EV lineup by 2025.
The XC40 Recharge was the first pure electric Volvo SUV and is some way towards Volvo getting to climate neutral across the range by 2040. As a company, they’ve stated that progress has already been made with approx 80% of global plants powered by renewable electricity.
Another of Volvo’s targets is to aim to reduce supply chain carbon emissions by 25% per car by 2025 compared to 2018. This includes emissions generated from the production of components and materials, and from the extraction of minerals and metals. These aims will be met by working with suppliers to increase renewable energy use, as well as using more sustainable materials in the final products and reducing waste. At least 25% of all plastics used in new Volvo cars launched after 2025 could well be made from recycled materials.
Most of the total carbon emissions from a plug-in hybrid car occur when it is being driven on petrol. To encourage drivers of plug-in hybrids to drive as sustainably as possible, reward systems are in place for driving in pure electric mode.