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Volvo planning two-pronged electric approach

Volvo will offer two battery sizes in pure-electric versions of the XC40 and upcoming V40 hatchback, according to a report out of the UK.


The new hatchback will be built on the same Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) as the XC40, powered by a range of three- and four-cylinder engines, a plug-in hybrid powertrain and, for the first time, a pure-electric setup.

"In purely physical terms, we have to fit the battery in the floor,” Henrik Green, Volvo R&D boss, told Auto Express. “But CMA gives us pretty good bandwidth. Everything from the full SUV height down to fairly low cars is possible. We’ve designed CMA from the beginning to have plug-in capability.”

“For each electric car, we will typically have at least two different battery sizes on offer,” he elaborated.

Above: Volvo XC40

“The base variant will be more cost-efficient, but with a slightly limited range, and then there will be a bigger option with a higher price, but more range and more power.”

When it arrives, a V40 EV would put Volvo a step closer to delivering on its promise of delivering five electric cars between 2019 and 2021, the first of which has already arrived wearing a Polestar badge.

The expanded electric range is part of the Swedish manufacturer's plan to sell 1 million electric cars by 2025, described as “one of the most significant moves by any car maker to embrace electrification" when it was announced last year.

Every Volvo sold from 2019 will feature some form of electrification, while the company wants to have its factories carbon neutral by the time 2025 rolls around.

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