VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE RANGE TEST AND FAST CHARGING TEST

Volvo XC40 Recharge

This is the Volvo XC40 Recharge. In this range test, I want to discover the range in real driving conditions. I am going to test the range on the highway to find out the minimum range of this car. I am also going to do a second range test at lower average speeds in town to know the minimum range. I also wanted to know how long it takes to charge the battery at a fast charger.

VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE

This is the Volvo XC40 Recharge with the 67 kWh battery (gross 69 kWh). The Volvo XC40 Recharge has an output of 231 horsepower. It goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 7.4 sec.

Volvo provides this info on the WLTP range:

  • Electric range [EAER] WLTP, Comb.: 423 – 400 km.
  • Electric range [EAER] WLTP, City.: 597 – 571 km.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I will first test the range at higher average highway speeds. I want to know what the minimum range of this car could be. At the beginning of this part of the test, the battery is at 88%. I base my estimated range on average consumption and net battery capacity. I did the test in November and it was between 16 and 23 degrees. So quite a big temperature difference during the test.

Volvo XC40 Recharge

For this test, I drove from Brussels towards Namur and back, for a total ride of 152 km. The battery dropped to 42% and the estimated range based on 19.6 kWh consumption was 342 km.

Battery%Distance driven (km)Consumption (kWh)Temperature (°C)Estimated range
88%start test16start test
84%1617,518383
80%282018335
75%4120,819322
69%6120,319330
59%9519,220349
50%12319,922337
45%14019,823338
42%15219,621342

Now let’s do a charging test at a fast charger. The Volvo XC40 Recharge is equipped with a combined charging system. With this system, the Volvo XC40 Recharge can be charged with either AC or DC. For this test, I am going to charge the car at a DC Fast Charger. The Volvo XC40 Recharge can fast charge at speeds up to 150 kW.

Volvo XC40 Recharge

At the beginning of the test, the battery is only at 21%. It’s 15 degrees outside. After 10 minutes of charging, we were at a charging speed of 109 kW and the battery increased to 45%. After 20 minutes we were at 68% and after half an hour of charging the battery was at 85%.

I have not done an AC charging test, but Volvo itself says the AC charging time is 7h.

Start testAfter 10 min. After 20 min.After 30 min.
Battery (%)21%45%68%85%
Charging speed (kW)10986,555,5
Temperature (°C)15151515

Volvo XC40 RechargeI will now test the range at lower speeds in the city. I want to know what the maximum range of this car could be. At the beginning of this part of the test, the battery is at 70%. The temperature was between 15 and 16 degrees. I did a 63 km test drive, first in Brussels. Then I left the city and drove on small town roads. It was in an urban area, sometimes a little more rural, but with plenty of opportunities for continuous driving, usually between 50-70 km/h. Then I drove back to Brussels.

Let’s take a look at my results. After a test drive totaling 63 km, I drained the battery to 55%. The average consumption ended up to be 14.6 kWh and the estimated range is 459 km. During the first part and the last part of the test, I drove in Brussels. The middle stretch, where consumption dropped to as low as 12.7 kWh was on county roads where you can just drive at constant speeds.

Battery%Distance driven (km)Consumption (kWh)Temperature (°C)Estimated range
70%start16start
68%715,715427
65%2212,715528
60%4613,115511
58%5613,815486
55%6314,615459

As a conclusion, I can say that the range of the Volvo XC40 Recharge is somewhere between 342 km and 459 km, based on similar driving conditions and measured at fairly mild temperatures between 16 and 23 degrees. I suspect that in much higher temperatures you will probably get more range and in winter at much lower temperatures you will get lower range.

Picture of Johan De Haes

Johan De Haes

Test driver

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