Pure-electric Volvo XC40 teased
Last year's Carsales Car of the Year set for zero-emission powertrain; claimed to be Swedish brand's safest car everA full pure-electric version of the Volvo XC40 has been previewed ahead of its launch on October 16.
Claimed by Volvo to be "one of the safest cars we've ever built", the battery-powered XC40's reveal follows Volvo's promise that 50 per cent of all its cars will be fully electric by 2025.
Full technical details have yet to be revealed but, from our first look at the pure-electric XC40's bare bones, the small Volvo SUV will mount its battery pack low in the chassis, beneath the floor and between the two axles for ideal weight distribution.
Helping efficiently package the batteries, Volvo engineers benefited from using the car-maker's recent Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform that was designed, developed and engineered from day one for both pure-electric and internal combustion engines.
Boosting safety, the XC40 EV gets a new aluminium safety cage to protect the battery and add an additional crumple zone around the lithium-ion cells.
At the rear of the car, more work has gone into protecting the electric powertrain with a beefed-up crash structure that directs force away from both the batteries and passenger area.
As well as being safer, the electric XC40 is also the first Volvo to come with its Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) – the car-maker's latest semi-autonomous driving aids that have been designed to be updated during its lifetime
So far, Volvo has been reluctant to reveal what powers its XC40 but it's thought that since it was developed side-by-side with the Polestar 2 – which shares the CMA platform – the XC40 will be powered by the same 78kWh battery pack.
That should ensure a range of around 500km on the WLTP test cycle.
As far as power, expect the XC40 to get around 220kW, rather than the more expensive Polestar's 300kW.
On sale in Europe in late 2020, Volvo Cars Australia has already confirmed it will import the electric XC40 when it arrives, but admits it will only be a small seller.
Polestar, the car-maker's EV brand, has also confirmed it will launch Down Under with its Polestar 2 next year, potentially around August.
There's no word yet on local pricing for either the Polestar 2 or the electric version of Carsales' current Car of the Year.
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