Bay Harbour: August 11, 2021

Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Wednesday August 11 2021 Bay Harbour News 25
Volvo heads toward electric vehicle goal
AS A COMPANY, Volvo has
come out with some quite
extraordinary announcements in
recent times.
First it was the decision, in the
interests of safety, to speed-limit
all of their vehicles to 180km/h.
That I can understand, Volvo has
long been a safety pioneer and
that didn’t surprise me.
However, one decision that
has taken me by surprise is the
direction where it is heading in
terms of electric vehicles. The
company’s goal is to produce just
electric-only vehicles by 2040,
with 50 per cent of their models
to be electric-only by 2025, which
is a vision to become completely
carbon neutral.
I’m not totally convinced that
goal is achievable and I’m of the
belief the world will still be buying
cars with internal combustion
engines for many years to come.
That aside, the latest Volvo to
come my way was a another step
towards the electric revolution
– the XC40 Recharge, the title
obviously referring to the plug-in
charging capability. The XC40 Recharge
is a hybrid and that simply
means it has a petrol engine and
an electric motor, the combination
works traditionally, the
petrol engine powers the vehicle
and charges the batteries.
In turn, a 10.7kWh battery
pack powers the electric motor,
taking the load off the engine and
creating fuel saving benefits. Also,
the XC40 Recharge has a plugin
facility, you can charge from
home from a domestic three-pin
outlet, or using a type 2 cable you
can quick charge from one of the
many and increasing number of
stations scattered throughout new
Zealand.
As a driver you can also select
electric-only motion. At best
possible usage you could get
46km without the petrol engine
operating. That’s good enough for
my workday commute and the
batteries easily top up with fourhour
domestic charge, while for
interest’s sake you can travel up to
about 600km using petrol.
The XC40 isn’t new but it is
in hybrid form; the Recharge
is based on the floorpan of its
stablemates and sits in the market
at $85,900 which is just shy of the
Government’s rebate scheme, that
being the case it doesn’t quality
VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE: Traditional hybrid with petrol
engine and electric motor combination.
for the $5750 reduction.
current from the lithium-ion
Nevertheless, the XC40 Recharge
has many other benefits. energy, and that power comes
system you get a healthy flow of
It is a true luxury sport utility from nowhere, the boost from
vehicle and is loaded with kit. Of zero revolutions is strong and
course, it gets the benefits of all with high torque figures you can
the safety systems Volvo has pioneered
over the years, and such is from any point.
guarantee immediate acceleration
its level of specification there is a Volvo claims a 7.3sec run to
lot of value in the model and the 100km/h from a standstill, which
price seems reasonable in terms is a fairly good indication of available
power. The XC40 Recharge
of what you get.
As a comparison, the petrol-only
XC40 range starts at hard to keep remembering you are
feels sprightly and insightful. It’s
$59,900 (2WD), while two fourwheel-drive
models sit at $68,900 response and feel on the road.
actually driving an SUV, such is its
and $73,900.
Drive is channelled to the front
Under the bonnet sits the wheels through a seven-speed
complex driveline, integral to the direct shift gearbox.
system is a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder
turbocharged petrol engine. lured by its environmental-
Buyers of the XC40 will be
Volvo claim power outputs of ly-friendly design and that is a
132kW and 265Nm, add in the direction Volvo has been heading
• Price – Volvo XC40
Recharge, $85,900
• Dimensions – Length,
4425mm; width, 1863mm;
height, 1652mm
• Configuration – Threecylinder,
front-wheeldrive,
1477cc, 132kW,
265Nm, seven-speed
automatic
• Performance – 0-100km/h,
7.5sec
• Fuel usage – 2.2l/100km
towards for several years now.
The Recharge model is listed with
a 7.7-litre per 100km combined
cycle fuel usage average when the
engine is operating freely. That
figure is easily achievable; the
on-board readout was listing at
8.6l/100km when I took the evaluation
car back to the dealership.
In standard hybrid mode Volvo
claims a tempting 2.2/100km
result.
Not only has Volvo weathered
the hard times that claimed its
Swedish competitor Saab, but the
company’s vision for the future is
commendable, it has a direction
that’s now visible for the entire
world to see.
Volvo will be quids-in and will
have a hefty head start on other
manufacturers going forward,
while for those buyers who aren’t
quite ready for full electric, the
XC40 hybrid has the best of all
worlds.
AMPED UP.
THE ALL-NEW VOLVO XC40 PHEV RECHARGE.
The first of Volvo compact plug-in hybrid SUVs is here at Archibalds – and now’s the time to discover this stunning planet-friendly vehicle. Take it for a test drive and experience a
powerful electric motor and petrol engine combination, plus a host of exquisite Scandinavian design features.
Contact Archibalds and secure your test drive today.
38 Tuam St,
Christchurch
Thomas Palmer - 03 377 5200 - tpalmer@archibalds.co.nz
archibalds.co.nz
*Plus on-road costs. Model shown is XC40 PHEV Recharge.
For further information visit archibalds.co.nz/VolvoXC40Phev