And we’ve all already seen it. Kinda.
Swedish luxury carmaker Volvo has revealed details on its very first production electric car, detailing its position in the range and the design direction it would take. It’s also been discovered that Volvo has quite a sense of humour, because as it was with the Concept 40.1 (which turned into the car we now know as the XC40), we’ve seen their new battery-electric hatchback already.
The Concept 40.2 was revealed to the world alongside the 40.1 that “inspired” the XC40, and showed off a battery-electric saloon with now-recognisable Volvo design features and a rather dramatic roofline. It’s been revealed that the battery-electric hatchback’s design will draw heavily from the 40.2, though the drivetrain will be improved to some degree before hitting production.
“This is about the customer. People increasingly demand electrified cars, and we want to respond to our customers’ current and future needs. This announcement marks the end of the solely combustion engine-powered car. Volvo Cars has stated that it plans to have sold a total of 1-million electrified cars by 2025. When we said it, we meant it. This is how we’re going to do it.” - Håkan Samuelsson, President & Chief Executive, Volvo Cars
While the EV hatch will be a stand-alone model, it’s been said that it’ll fall under the Series-40 family of cars given its size and position. As such, it will sit alongside the recently-launched Volvo XC40 compact SUV, upcoming S40 saloon, and V40 hatch. It’s also been confirmed that the EV hatch will be due in 2019.
At the launch of the XC40 SUV, Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson told UK automotive publication Autocar that the battery-electric hatchback will precede any electric variants of existing models, which also went some way in saying that the XC40 EV (also another confirmed product on the horizon) would arrive either later in 2019 or perhaps even in 2020.
Like the XC40, the EV hatch will utilise the CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform, which was designed from the outset to accommodate a variety of drivetrains, including internal combustion and electric powertrains. When the Concept 40.2 debuted, it sported a relatively modest all-electric driving range of just 350km; The production EV is expected to pack about 500km thereabouts from its battery pack.
On the matter, Volvo’s VP of research and development talked to some length about the challenges that exist with developing a cutting-edge car for the modern world:
“It’s quite different to developing a car compared to 5, 10 years ago. You [used to] set a prerequisite three or four years before a car’s launch, and you aimed towards that target. If you did that well, you came out competitive. But in this case [with the EV], it feels like every month we are updating the requirements, adding new competitive edges to the car because technology is moving so fast now on so many areas. So it’s much more of a moving target.” — Henrik Green, Senior Vice President (R&D), Volvo Cars
Like other modern EVs, the Series-40 electric car will pack a modular battery system that will allow owners to compromise range for a sharper price, or splash out for a larger capacity. The same approach will be taken for the performance on offer, with various electric motor setups available depending on requirements. This, Green says, will “address the broader population with cost-efficient solutions,” while also allowing the premium segment room to breathe with more power and electric range.
Green also spoke about the motivation behind choosing battery capacities. While most of us (particularly those moving from pure internal-combustion cars) would opt for the biggest possible capacity to offset range anxiety, the R&D boss talked about how that will change over time once people become more familiar with the technology.
“We are coming from a history of always driving around with tons of range from a fuel tank. As generations grow up knowing electric vehicles, I believe they will settle around a convenient battery size, what they need for one day. But in the transition time, a lot of people used to having long-range will pay for a long-range electric vehicle.” — Henrik Green, Senior Vice President (R&D), Volvo Cars
Back in July last year, Volvo announced that it would be progressively moving its entire portfolio into electrification, with CEO Håkan Samuelsson going as far as to say there will be “no Volvo without an electric motor.” The Swedish marque will be the first luxury brand to have done so with its wider portfolio of vehicles, and aligns with the company’s intentions to shift 1-million electric vehicles by 2025.
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