Totalcar – Magazine – For the first time in 25 years, Volvo has rear-wheel drive again

The range of electric Volvos has also been increased to 2023, but the real innovation is that the Swedes have rear-wheel drive again for the first time in 25 years. This time with 235 horsepower in single-engine compact crossovers. According to Totalcar – Magazine, this is the first time in 25 years that Volvo has rear-wheel drive again.

Volvo’s rounded-roof electric crossover, the all-wheel drive Twin version of the C40 Recharge, was also with us, even before it became clear that it might have problems in the moose test. But the worrisome undergovernance is now over!

The big innovation is that the 170 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor driving the front axle has been replaced with their own developed AC motor capable of delivering 175 kW, i.e. 235 horsepower, packed on the rear axle.

The cooling of the batteries has also been improved, so the range of the rear-wheel-drive C40 Recharge, which still has a capacity of 69 kW, increases to 476 kilometers according to the WLTP from the previous 438, and jumps from ten to eighty percent in 34 minutes with a well-performing 130 kW direct current fast charger.

An option is also the larger battery with a capacity of 82 kWh, which provides 248 horsepower with a range of 515 kilometers for the XC40 Recharge, or 533 kilometers for the C40 Recharge. These models can also be charged with a 200 kW DC charger, with which Volvo promises to charge from ten to eighty percent in 28 minutes.

And now a momentary overview: 25 years ago, in 1998, the last rear-wheel drive Volvo platform was the P90, and more than six hundred thousand Volvo 940s, S90s and station wagons 960/V90s were produced in eight years.

Of course, twin-engine C40s and XC40s will also be produced in 2023 for lovers of all-wheel drive. The two 150 kW motors of the previous drive are replaced by a 183 kW permanent magnet synchronous motor at the rear, and a new 117 kW asynchronous motor at the front.

This performance comes with an 82 kWh battery as standard, with which the WLTP gives the XC40 Recharge 500 kilometers, i.e. 62 more than before, while the C40 adds an additional seven kilometers to the total.

Needless to say, Volvo’s new 19-inch rims also improve drag.

For the first time in 25 years, Volvo has rear-wheel drive again. This is a major milestone for the company and for the industry as a whole. With the new rear-wheel drive system, Volvo has increased the range of its electric vehicles, improved battery cooling, and increased charging speeds. The rear-wheel drive system also allows for more powerful engines, providing up to 235 horsepower in single-engine compact crossovers.