Living with an electric vehicle is still a fairly new concept in Malaysia, and not many people have the opportunity to know what it is like living with an electric vehicle. When Volvo Cars Malaysia decided to let me have a go in their new XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, I took the chance to not only review the vehicle, but also to provide a first hand experience living with an electric vehicle. The Volvo XC40 is a rather familiar vehicle to me, as I’ve actually tested the other 2 power train options that Volvo offers in Malaysia.

The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric carries the familiar shape of the Volvo XC40. To set the Pure Electric variant apart from the other XC40 variants, there are some minor differences that Volvo has done to the exterior of the vehicle. To start off, the front grille has been replaced with a body colored panel to reduce the drag created by the front grille, since there’s no engine needed to be cooled down.

Other than that, the XC40 Pure Electric is fitted with a set of Pure Electric specific 19-inch rims ,wrapped in 235/50 R19 tyres upfront, and 255/45 R19 tyres at the rear. While the Pure Electric still retains the fuel filler flap, Volvo engineers have replaced the fuel filler hose with a charging slot. Without an internal combustion engine, the space under the hood has been converted into a small storage compartment for owners to store items such as the charging cables, which is fairly useful.

As for the interior, most of the components are carried over from the other XC40 variants. The only changes here is that the XC40 Pure Electric’s infotainment is now powered by the Android Automotive operating system, which I’ve checked out in the XC60. It may be the same Android Automotive system as the larger sibling, the Google Maps for the Pure Electric variant will display the percentage of battery charge available when the vehicle reaches its destination. This really helps the driver to plan out their journeys ahead.

While driving, I can’t deny that I do feel the range anxiety kicking in. The main reason for my range anxiety was due to the lack of DC fast charging stations around Malaysia. Apart from that, there are different circumstances such as faulty or occupied chargers that owners may have to experience throughout their ownership of an EV at the current moment. With a DC fast charger, I spend about an hour just to juice the car up to about 80-90% of the battery capacity before heading home. This is to ensure when I leave the vehicle charging overnight on the 3-pin plug, I can get a full charge the next morning. On a full charge, I can get about 360km of estimated range for the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric.

Powering the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric are 2 electric motors that are located on both front and rear axles. This made the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric an all wheel drive vehicle. The Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric dual motor setup produces a total output of 402 hp, and a peak torque of 660 Nm. This electric SUV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in an impressive 4.9 seconds, and hit a limited top speed of 180km/h. The Pure Electric is equipped with a 78 kWh Lithium-Ion Battery Capacity.

In order to start the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric, all I have to do is just put the vehicle into gear, and off we go. On daily drives, I tend to drive the vehicle in a more conservative manner, this is just so I can eke out as much range as possible from a single charge. From time to time, I do step on the accelerator pedal just to feel the acceleration that the SUV can provide. Another way to be efficient, is to drive the vehicle in the one pedal driving mode. The one pedal driving mode will utilize the electric motor fully not only for acceleration, but also slowing down the vehicle.

While the electric motor has the ability to bring the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric to a stand still, the SUV is still equipped with strong braking performance disc brakes all round. If the owner only utilizes the one pedal driving, chances are their brake pads could last them a long time before needing any replacement. Another advantage for using the regenerative braking, is that the physical brakes have a lesser tendency to overheat when coming down a mountain route.

The XC40 Recharge Pure Electric may have very strong acceleration, the SUV will start showing its flaw when it’s taking corners. When going into a corner, the turn in does feel immediate. As the corner progresses, the additional 400kg weight that the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric is carrying will start pushing the vehicle wide. Other than that, the weight also enhanced the body roll of the SUV. The eco tyres that come with the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric does not help as well, as the level of grip from these tyres are much lower than the regular XC40 tyres.

While the cornering capability of the SUV may reduce, I do think that Volvo engineers did a good job to ensure that the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric rides as good as the regular XC40. Even so, I can still feel that the suspension is working hard to ensure that the car stays level and not bottoming out, especially when going over road humps. As per all Volvo vehicles, it will always be packed with safety and advanced driver assistance systems. For the safety systems, the XC40 Recharge Pure Electric comes with 7 airbags, Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Emergency Brake Assist (EBA), Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Hill Descent Control (HDC), Emergency Stop Assist, Pre-Prepared Restraints (PRS), and Run-Off Road Protection.

As for the Advance Safety Systems, the Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric comes with City Safety – Collision Avoidance & Mitigation Support with Auto Brake for Intersection, Pedestrian, Cyclist & Large Animal Detection, Front & Rear Collision Warning & Mitigation Support, Driver Alert Control (DAC), Lane Keeping Aid (LKA), Run-Off Road Mitigation, Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) with Steer Assist, Cross Traffic Alert (CTA) with Autobrake, and Post-Collision Auto Braking & Unlocking.

With a price of RM 262,459.75, you do get quite a lot of vehicles for the money, especially for those who are looking for an electric SUV. Throughout my time with the vehicle, I do understand the hype for people wanting to embrace the future of mobility. At the current moment, the infrastructure is still lagging far behind compared to the amount of new electric vehicles that are soon to arrive. Due to the overwhelming demand, Volvo Cars Malaysia has stopped taking orders for the 2022 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric. If you are still keen to own one, stay tuned for the announcement of the reopening of order books for the 2023 model year Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric.

Check out full photo album here