Volvo unveils new plug-in hybrid with 200 km electric range
The new Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid will in the future offer a purely electric range of up to 200 km. Meanwhile, the larger and heavier Volvo XC90 Plug-in Hybrid can travel up to 163 km purely electrically per battery charge.
Volvo XC60 and XC90 model year 2027
Image: Volvo
With its new models, Volvo – which already offers several fully electric vehicles, such as the EX30 and the EX60 – aims to give customers the opportunity to “complete the majority of their daily driving purely electrically and thus need to charge significantly less often,” according to the company.
The electric range of the Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid and the Volvo XC90 Plug-in Hybrid is now more than two and a half times higher than that of their previous plug-in hybrid variants. This is due to a battery with a significantly larger capacity now being installed in the vehicle floor – specifically 41.2 kWh (previously 18.8 kWh). This is impressive and, for example, slightly larger than the battery in the base version of the VW ID. Polo (37 kWh) and even significantly larger than that in the Renault Twingo Electric (27.5 kWh).
The 41.2 kWh battery is combined with a more powerful electric motor rated at 130 kW (previously 115 kW / 156 PS). As with any plug-in hybrid, the Volvo XC60 and XC90 also feature an internal combustion engine – specifically a petrol engine – that takes over in certain driving situations and, at the latest, when the battery is almost depleted.
Volvo XC60 with “class-leading range”
“The XC60 is our best-selling model of all time, while the XC90 marked the beginning of our premium journey,” said Håkan Samuelsson, CEO and President of Volvo Cars. “Now, as long-range plug-in hybrids, they build on those legacies and, together with the all-electric EX60, give us our strongest-ever electrified offering in the mid-size SUV segment. This means a path to full electrification for every customer.”
The 200 km electric range of the Volvo XC60 Plug-in Hybrid (starting price: €69,990) is “class-leading,” according to the Swedish manufacturer. Indeed, when searching for another plug-in hybrid with this much range, the only model that comes close is the Lynk & Co 08 (DE), which features a similarly large battery capacity of 39.6 kWh (gross). In an ADAC test (DE), the vehicle achieved a real-world range of 176 km. It is worth noting that both Volvo and Lynk & Co belong to the Chinese Geely Group – a technology exchange is therefore likely, even if they are not direct sister models. For comparison: among German manufacturers, the VW Golf eHybrid and the technically related Audi A3 Sportback TFSI e currently lead with up to 142 to 143 km of electric range.
CO2 emissions of plug-in hybrids remain contentious
There has long been significant debate over how often plug-in hybrid (PHEV) drivers actually charge their vehicles, which massively impacts the car’s CO2 emissions. After all, these vehicles can continue driving on an empty battery using their internal combustion engine. In 2022, the EU already found that the real-world CO2 emissions of 320,000 examined PHEVs were on average about 3.5 times higher than the type-approval value. As a result, the so-called Utility Factor was already reduced starting in 2025.
Under current regulations, a second tightening of standards is set to follow in 2027, though the German federal government is currently resisting this (DE). However, given the sharp rise in fuel prices in recent months, there is at least a subjective impression that PHEVs are increasingly appearing at Germany’s charging stations. This would lead to lower CO2 emissions for plug-in hybrids, which are largely powered by internal combustion engines.
_Source: per email_, volvocars.com