Volvo has already announced plans to introduce an electric car, but we haven’t had a confirmation about what form it will take. A new report claims that Volvo’s first stand-alone electric car will be a hatchback and badged as a 40-Series model.
According to Autocar, the electric car will be based on the 40.2 concept that was originally shown off as a preview of the new Volvo 40-Series models, like the next S40 and V40. If the report is accurate, the electric car will be a coupe-like hatchback.
Under the skin, the electric car will be based on Volvo’s Compact Modular Architecture (CMA). Volvo has yet to reveal the specs for the new electric car, but R&D boss Henrik Green did recently hint that Volvo is aiming for a driving range around 310 miles.
Green told Autocar, “That’s the area [of range] we’re aiming at. We’re in the middle of development and we are constantly chasing new steps. It’s quite different to developing a car compared to five or 10 years ago. You set a prerequisite three or four years before a car’s launch and you ran towards that target, and if you did that well, you came out with a competitive offer.”
The new electric car will also use a modular battery system, which will allow for different range and power configurations.
“We are building a modular system to meet different customer sectors, both in battery size and electric motor configuration,” said Green. “The goal is to address the broader population with cost-efficient solutions and then address a more premium segment with more motor power and longer range.”
Source: Autocar
