Photo: Volvo
Starting this year, the European electric SUV segment will heat up to entirely new levels. With a number of interesting propositions already available, it will all boil down to brand image and perks in the eyes of the customers.
Since one of the main worries of electric car owners is charging, having some type of partnership with a charging solutions provider could be make it or break it for cars waiting to be rolled out. And for Volvo, that partnership is with Plugsurfing.
The Swedish carmaker follows in the path of its spinoff Polestar and announced this week the availability of around 200,000 charging stations across Europe for owners of the company’s Recharge models. For now, that basically means generally the plug-in hybrids it is currently selling (XC40, XC60, XC90, V60 and V90), but also its first all-electric SUV, the XC40.
More to the point, to make sure its SUV has a fighting chance, Volvo says each owner will get the vehicle complete with a Plugsurfing account that aside for providing access to the said number of charging stations, also allows for processing of charging events and payments on a monthly basis.
“Your Plugsurfing service will cover all your charging and driving needs: the daily commute, on-location charging and long distance travel,” said in a statement Björn Annwall, head of EMEA at Volvo Cars. “This freedom of mind makes driving an electric Volvo even more enjoyable and hasslefree.”
When the XC40 electric started selling, it already had one year of free charging included in the deal. The battery on it, a 78 kWh pack, is capable of recharging to 80 percent capacity from a fast-charging system in 40 minutes.
The total range of the model is 400 km (248 miles), similar to that of the Audi e-tron, but less than the capabilities of the Tesla Model X.
The Swedish carmaker follows in the path of its spinoff Polestar and announced this week the availability of around 200,000 charging stations across Europe for owners of the company’s Recharge models. For now, that basically means generally the plug-in hybrids it is currently selling (XC40, XC60, XC90, V60 and V90), but also its first all-electric SUV, the XC40.
More to the point, to make sure its SUV has a fighting chance, Volvo says each owner will get the vehicle complete with a Plugsurfing account that aside for providing access to the said number of charging stations, also allows for processing of charging events and payments on a monthly basis.
“Your Plugsurfing service will cover all your charging and driving needs: the daily commute, on-location charging and long distance travel,” said in a statement Björn Annwall, head of EMEA at Volvo Cars. “This freedom of mind makes driving an electric Volvo even more enjoyable and hasslefree.”
When the XC40 electric started selling, it already had one year of free charging included in the deal. The battery on it, a 78 kWh pack, is capable of recharging to 80 percent capacity from a fast-charging system in 40 minutes.
The total range of the model is 400 km (248 miles), similar to that of the Audi e-tron, but less than the capabilities of the Tesla Model X.
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