Volvo's first all-electric model will arrive next year, based on the 40.2 concept the company showed off in 2016.
Volvo has officially confirmed that the stand-alone electric 40-series will arrive in 2019, but didn't give more details. Autocar spoke with Volvo CEO Håkan Samuelsson and R&D Boss Henrik Green about the new EV and Volvo's electric plans.
Samuelsson told the magazine that the new all-electric model will be the first EV from the brand. It will arrive before electric versions of existing Volvos. The first of those is expected to be an electric XC40 subcompact crossover.
The production version of the 40.2 concept that was revealed in May of 2016 will sit on the company's Compact Modular Architecture. That's the platform that underpins the new XC40, as well as the other upcoming small vehicles from the brand. It's designed for gas, hybrid, and full-electric powertrains.
While the concept car offered a 350 km electric range, Volvo's Green said that the company was looking at a range of around 500 km for the company's first EV. That matches up with the range of other upcoming EVs like VW's ID lineup.
"In this case, it feels like every month we are updating the requirement, trying to add new competitive edges to the car because the technology is moving so fast now on a lot of areas, so it’s much more of a moving target," Green told Autocar.
Last year, Volvo was the first conventional automaker to announce it would be electrifying their entire range. Volvo plans to have each of their vehicles offer an electrified version by next year with five EVs planned by 2021.
