MOTORING
VOLVO XC40
RECHARGE By Maarten Hoffmann, Senior Motoring Editor The electric car sector is exploding with just about every manufacturer lining them up and companies such as Jaguar and Ford clearly stating that from 2023, they will cease production of fossil fuels models. This is quite a shift and a race if ever l have seen one. On my drive now is the Swedes’ first full electric model, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8, to give it its full title, and l have to say it is absolutely cracking. Volvo’s Recharge is the company’s sub-brand, one that will encompass all of its hybrid or fully electric cars. CEO Håkan Samuelsson reckons electric vehicles will account for 50% of Volvo’s sales volumes by 2025. Outside it is a very good looking car thanks to British designer Ian Kettle, who was stolen by Tesla not long after its reveal but his job was done. The lines are smooth, the new wheels are superb and there is not much l would change about it.
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The P8 is powered by a 78kWh lithium ion battery pack mounted under the floor, that feeds two electric motors, with one on each axle to provide all-wheel drive. Power output is 402bhp, torque a stunning 487lb ft, which in turn translates to 62mph in less than five seconds. Very un-Volvo. They claim a WLTP range of 260 miles and you can charge 80% of that in around 40 minutes. On a standard domestic 7-11kW wall point charger you’re looking at eight hours.
For those who have not driven an EV, l should point out that the acceleration is not just quick, but the smooth linear progression is stunning. With no oily cogs moving around and pistons pounding away trying to keep up you have just constant acceleration that seems never to want to stop. It acts like a slingshot and launches you out off corners, and the blast off the line will leave the vast majority of fossil-fueled cars languishing in your wake, with a look of total shock on the driver’s face. It is a tad addictive but, of course, punishes you on the battery range if you like to bury your foot into the Wilton. Around town it is a blast to drive and so easy as to render the current driving test obsolete. Aided by a multitude of cameras with one of the clearest resolution images l have ever seen on a car camera. Parking is a breeze too. The one thing that it takes time to get used to is the regenerative braking. When
