Long-term report: Going green with our Volvo XC40 Recharge

Going green is something that many of us are increasingly thinking about. Whether that be lifestyle choices, food choices or even car choices.

It’s the latter that I’ve turned green with this month, and quite literally. That’s because more than 12 months after originally ordering ‘my’ electric, green Volvo, it’s finally arrived. It’s certainly bold too; painted in its original launch colour of Sage Green, it’s already attracted plenty of glances. Whether they’re all positive or not, I’m not so sure just yet.

Like many other manufacturers, Volvo has been limited with the number of new cars it can produce because of a shortage of semiconductors – small chips used for a whole host of different features in cars – leading to long waiting times. When telling a friend who works in a Volvo dealer that ‘my’ electric XC40 had been delivered, even after 12 months of waiting, I got the response “wow, that was quick”.

At the time of ordering, there was only the choice of two powertrains – single motor or all-wheel-drive – and then trim level, colour and interior material. Confusingly, that’s all changed now, meaning that if you went into a Volvo dealer today you couldn’t buy an exact XC40 like this, though one relatively close.

While Volvo offers its XC40 Recharge with a single motor option, I elected for the flagship ‘Twin’, which gets twin electric motors enabling all-wheel-drive and some impressive performance figures – it develops 402bhp and 670Nm of torque. That’s more than a new Porsche 911 Carrera, for example.

I’ve driven an XC40 briefly with this powertrain before, but even after a month of having KR72 XGP, I still can’t get over the way it can gather pace – 0-60mph is dispatched in just 4.5 seconds. Remember, this is a compact premium SUV. A 78kWh battery is also used, with Volvo giving a claimed range of 257 miles in my test car, though thanks to a range of changes made to the updated model, Volvo now claims 326 miles from a charge.

Our test car is also configured in the top-spec Ultimate trim, which brings luxuries like 20-inch alloy wheels, a full panoramic sunroof, 360-degree camera and a Harman Kardon sound system to name just a few highlights.

I’m quite well-accustomed to the Volvo XC40 already, having previously run a plug-in hybrid version for nine months and 10,000 miles, with my only real gripe at that time being the actual hybrid powertrain, which had a virtually useless electric range. So I’m keen to see if this EV can address that.

There have been a few changes to the XC40 since then, with a few light design alterations, but the main one is the addition of a new Google-based infotainment system. This brings some key improvements, not least the integration of various technologies from the tech giant – my favourite being Google Maps as the default satellite navigation. It’s what I tend to favour anyway over any manufacturer sat nav, and I’m not sure why more carmakers haven’t followed Volvo’s lead here.

There are plenty of features and technologies to explore with this Volvo, so is this going to be a happy six months going green? It’s going to be exciting to find out…