The Audi e-tron has an amazing battery pack—the driving range doesn’t reduce as fast as it does in some other electric cars, but the e-tron (because of its heavyweight, about 2,500 kg) feels bulky while driving. It goes from 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds—lethargic in luxury electric car terms.
The Jaguar I-Pace is an athlete of a car—at about 2,200 kg, it is lighter and has a furious acceleration from 0-100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds, but doing so the driving range drops faster than Jofra Archer’s thunderbolts.
The Volvo XC40 Recharge balances everything right—it weighs about 2,200 kg, accelerates from 0-100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, and when it’s launched in July, it might be far more affordable than the above two cars. We drive it.
What is the XC40 Recharge?
It’s the first electric car by Volvo, developed on the carmaker’s smallest SUV, the XC40. It has a 78 kWh battery pack, WLTP* range of 418 km, and its two electric motors together develop 408 horsepower and a whopping 660 Nm of torque. Among the luxury electric cars available in India, it’s the smallest—the boot space is small—but has decent cabin space for five adults.
How does it drive?
The XC40 Recharge is insanely fast—not only it will overwhelm you, but can also make some occupants nervous. This extreme acceleration is not only from 0-100 km/h but from any speed to any speed. Brakes are equally strong and provide a feeling of safety and control.
One-pedal driving
When you take your foot off the accelerator pedal, the XC40 Recharge decelerates very quickly, almost mimicking the conventional braking action, and to speed up you have to simply press the accelerator. This way, it can be driven all-day long without using the brake pedal at all. One-pedal driving actually increases the range of the car—when you take your foot off the pedal, a tech called ‘brake energy regeneration’ turns the mechanical energy of the wheels into electricity, and then stores it in the battery.
How much is the real-world range?
We drove it from Delhi airport to Neemrana (in Rajasthan) and back—a total distance of 210 km. We started at 95% battery capacity and returned at 50% charge. A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that if driven in an efficient manner (not too harsh acceleration or braking), the XC40 Recharge can do about 450 km or even more on full charge.
How much will it be priced?
It will be launched in July, and customer deliveries will start in October, but we have an indication of the price considering how competitors have priced their electric cars. For example, the Mercedes-Benz GLC is priced Rs 62-68 lakh and the EQC (similar in size) is priced 70% extra, at Rs 1.06 crore. The Audi Q5 is priced Rs 60 lakh onwards and the e-tron (similar in size) is priced 70-75% extra. Using a similar logic, the XC40 Recharge should be priced about Rs 75 lakh (75% more than the XC40 petrol’s Rs 45 lakh).
Is it better than Tesla Model 3?
That isn’t a fair comparison, considering that Tesla doesn’t sell in India, but where the Volvo appears better is in that whole joy of driving. Having driven the Model 3 in the US a while ago, we know that Tesla is more a tech gadget than a car—there is so much gadgetry inside, you need to get used to it—while the Volvo is more of a driver’s car. It’s electric, it’s advanced, and it’s connected to the past as far as sheer driving pleasure is concerned.
*Range is calculated using WLTP, or Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure, a laboratory test
Specifications:
Battery pack: 78 kWh
Driving range: 418 km
Power: 408 hp
Torque: 660 Nm
0-100 km/h: 4.9 seconds
Speed limit: 180 km/h (Its price will be announced in July, and customer deliveries in October)
