Volvo News: Volvo Teases XC40 EV

[Drew Dowdell]

Volvo has released some teaser images of the upcoming Volvo XC40 EV crossover. This will be the brand's first full EV as the other EVs the Volvo has released are going to its Polestar brand.  What we did know was that Volvo's first EV was going to be based on an existing model. Volvo is expecting to make the XC40 EV one of the safest vehicles ever built.

The XC40 rides on Volvo's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) that was designed with multiple different modes of propulsion in mind. It's the same platform found in the Polestar 2.  As it was planned from the start to be capable of being an EV, it wasn't that hard to convert it over from gasoline. Like most EVs, the battery pack is in the floor, but being in such a small package, it required some extra aluminum crumple zone shielding to prevent puncture in an accident.  Being mounted in the floor lowers the center of gravity to reduce the risk of a rollover.  With no 4-cylinder engine up front, the space under the hood is mostly empty. Volvo took the opportunity to reinforce the front to further protect passengers in a front end collision. 

A whole suite of safety tech will come along with the XC40 that includes sensors, cameras, and radar to allow the vehicle to "see" around itself and take action if needed.  It's not going to have autonomous driving, but since the platform is modular, autonomy could be added on later. 

We don't have any details on price or power, but that will come when the XC40 debuts on October 16th. 

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[G. David Felt]

I am very excited to see all the new EVs coming out and see how they compare to their ICE counter parts.