Electric cars

You will find the fastest charging at a DC fast-charging station along the route. To charge as fast as possible, we recommend you to limit the car's charging level to 80 per cent. This helps keep your charging times short because the last 20 per cent of charging takes the longest time.

In countries where Google Maps includes charging stations, you can find public charging stations direct from the map in the car’s centre display or via a smartphone app. From here you can also select preferred charging stations and get guidance.

The battery means there is 500 kg of extra weight that needs to be addressed in an impact – for the car’s occupants as well as for other vehicles. The battery also needs separate protection to avoid harmful leakage after a collision. By utilising a range of innovative safety solutions, Volvo Cars’ safety engineers have designed our pure electric cars to meet all these challenges.

The electric motors are sealed for life and maintenance-free. So compared to a combustion engine-propelled car, the pure electric Volvo cars needs much less maintenance which may result in lower running costs.

Over the average lifetime of a vehicle, the carbon footprint of a fully electric vehicle (BEV) is less than a traditional internal combustion engine vehicle (ICE). However, the distance needed to be driven for a BEV to become less carbon intensive than an ICE vehicle is largely dependent on how the electricity that power the vehicle is generated. If you charge your BEV with renewable electricity, you will need to drive less for that point to be reached, compared with if you use electricity generated from fossil fuels. Where possible, we encourage you to power your electric vehicle with electricity from renewable sources.

We are committed to full transparency when it comes to the full carbon impact of our electric vehicles. A lifecycle analysis (LCA) of the XC40 Recharge is already available and the lifecycle analysis of the C40 Recharge will be available later in 2021.

Volvo Cars is committed to full traceability, helping to ensure that our customers can drive electrified Volvos knowing the raw material for the batteries has been sourced responsibly. The introduction of blockchain technology significantly boosts traceability within our cobalt supply chain. Blockchain, in conjunction with inspection on mine sites, GPS tracking, entry and exit scanning, verified logistics providers, facial recognition, ID checks, and time tracking, all contribute to a material’s traceability from a mine to the car factory.

Volvo Cars works closely with our suppliers to increase the sustainability of our products and services, including through securing responsible supply chains and making efficient use of resources. We are committed to the responsible sourcing of minerals and metals, and fully support the OECD Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-affected and High-risk Areas. In this respect, we require our battery suppliers to support our commitment to have full transparency of our cobalt supply chain and to work towards full traceability.

Sustainability performance is a key consideration when assessing and selecting our suppliers. We monitor the performance of existing suppliers and follow up with third party audits. We also put requirements on our battery suppliers to minimise carbon emissions during the production processes, including through the use of renewable energy. All our suppliers have to agree to the Volvo Cars' Code of Conduct for Business Partners, which includes the observation of human rights, including labour rights.