Volvo Cars has introduced a range of updates for its all-electric XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge models, including two new rear-wheel-drive variants and improvements in range and charging times.
Starting with the RWD powertrain options, they replace the previous FWD variants as the brand's first rear-wheel-drive products in 25 years, and the motors are developed in-house by Volvo Cars.
Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge single motor standard range models now feature a 175-kilowatt (235-horsepower) permanent magnet electric motor, which provides a 3 percent increase in power output over the outgoing 170-kW (228-hp) single-motor front-wheel-drive variant.
In the XC40 Recharge single motor, the same 69-kWh battery capacity is carried over, but enhancements in cooling efficiency now increase the range up to 460 kilometers WLTP and 240 miles EPA.
Gallery: 2023 Volvo XC40, C40 Recharge
Meanwhile, the range of the Volvo C40 Recharge single motor has also improved to 476 km WLPT and 245 miles EPA. Furthermore, charging the battery from 10 percent to 80 percent SoC takes less time than before – approximately 34 minutes using a 130 kW DC public charger.
Volvo is also offering a more powerful rear-wheel-drive powertrain featuring a 185-kW (248-hp) permanent magnet e-motor. This second new variant only comes with the larger 82 kWh battery pack which boosts WLTP range up to 520 km WLTP/270 miles EPA for the XC40 Recharge single motor extended range and up to 530 km WLPT/275 miles EPA for the C40 Recharge single motor extended range.
Charging power has improved as well as the larger battery pack has an updated top rate of 200 kW DC, up from 150 kW before. As a result, the charging time from 10 percent to 80 percent SoC takes approximately 28 minutes.
AWD variants get new motors, more range
In addition to the new RWD variants, Volvo has also revised the all-wheel-drive performance models, unlocking more range and shorter charging times. The previous setup of two 150-kW (201-hp) electric motors on the front and rear axles has been replaced by the 183-kW (245-hp) permanent magnet e-motor on the rear axle and a new 117-kW (156-hp) asynchronous electric motor on the front axle.
Powered by the 82-kWh battery pack with overall efficiency improvements in battery cooling, this configuration enables a WLTP driving range of 500 km (310 miles) in the XC40 Recharge Twin Motor AWD, a 62-km (38-mile) gain over the previous iteration.
Equipped with the same powertrain, the C40 Recharge Twin Motor AWD also sees a significant range improvement – from 451 km (280 miles) to 507 km (315 miles). The EPA range ratings for AWD models haven't been announced yet.
In addition to the powertrain updates, Volvo has introduced a new 19-inch alloy wheel for both XC40 and C40 Recharge that's said to help reduce drag through its aerodynamic design.
