The absolutely electrical model of the XC40 SUV will now be referred to as the EX40, whereas its considerably lower-roof C40 Recharge counterpart will probably be referred to as the EC40, Volvo revealed Tuesday as a part of a brand new naming technique for its EVs and plug-in hybrids.
Amongst Volvo EVs, EX calls out electrical SUVs, just like the upcoming EX30 and EX90, EC will probably be used for electrical coupes (or coupe-like SUVs like the present EC40), and EM designates minivan fashions. Internationally, Volvo already has one of many latter—its massive EM90 luxurious electrical minivan for China.
2025 Volvo EC40 (Europe spec)
Volvo simply gave the XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge their most important overhaul since their late-2020 arrival. Most notably, the 2024 Volvo XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge switched to rear-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-biased all-wheel drive—making them not solely vastly extra environment friendly however faster and better-driving throughout.
Though the Recharge title wasn’t new to Volvo, it launched the badge to manufacturing fashions with the introduction of these EVs—and one other Idea Recharge pure-EV “manifesto” revealed on the time it made clear it’s going all-electric by 2030. The model at the moment additionally began making use of the badge to its plug-in hybrids, and on the time the rationale was that something with a cost port would bear the Recharge badging.
With the replace, Volvo has eliminated the Recharge badging from plug-in hybrid fashions. They’ll now be both T6 or T8, Volvo says, relying on energy output—signifying that as Volvo pushes towards all-EV, plug-in hybrids are primarily the brand new regular for individuals who nonetheless have to gasoline up a few of the time.
![Volvo ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept Volvo ReCharge plug-in hybrid concept](https://images.hgmsites.net/med/volvo-recharge-plug-in-hybrid-concept_100185692_m.jpg)
Volvo ReCharge plug-in hybrid idea
As EVs grew to become extra commonplace, the Recharge badging might have been a bit of troublesome to decipher shortly in some gross sales heaps, because it was utilized broadly throughout absolutely electrical and plug-in hybrid fashions. Volvo hasn’t held again on plug-in hybrid gross sales quantity in some states; two years in the past it already reported that 77% of California gross sales had a cost port.
Inexperienced Automobile Studies has reached out to Volvo for particulars on when this transformation will occur for U.S.-market EVs, and whether or not it is likely to be utilized any in another way for plug-in hybrids.