Volvo has confirmed that its entire US lineup will consist of “mild hybrids,” plug-in hybrid, and/or electric vehicles in 2023.
The Swedish marque outlined its electrification strategy last year, stating that its global lineup would include only EVs by 2030 ahead of a transition to full carbon neutrality by 2040. Volvo has since introduced the pure-electric C40 and XC40 Recharge EVs to its lineup, an extension of their respective ICE crossover and SUV counterparts.
Volvo C40 Recharge
Volvo has now confirmed that the “mild hybrid” engines featured as standard on the XC90 and XC40 SUVs, as well as the V60 Cross Country – badged B4, B5 and B6 accordingly – will now extend across the remaining half-dozen models in the US.
A statement that should be taken with an ever-so-slight pinch of salt, given that the “mild hybrid” is an electrical-assist to the vehicle’s international combustion engine rather than electrical-powered addition to it.
Volvo’s hybrids employ a 48-volt battery, power from which is drawn by a small starter-generator. This combination works in tandem with the turbocharged four-cylinder, which remains the prominent powerplant, to reduce the vehicle’s overall fuel consumption and emissions. The battery-generator doesn’t produce any additional power, and instead “puts less strain on the engine.” The battery also doesn’t need to be separately charged either, and instead draws on regenerative energy when the brake pedal is pressed.
Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin
Volvo’s US lineup for 2023 – among which will be the newly refreshed XC40 Recharge, an example of which we experienced for the first time earlier this month – is now in production and is scheduled to arrive at national dealerships from the summer onwards.
Google built-in will also be included across the board. Featured as standard already on the full-electric C40 and XC40 Recharges (plus the XC60, S90, and V90 Cross Country), the new universal infotainment system will allow over-the-air software upgrades to be made faster and more regularly.
