Volvo Cars has made an ambitious claim – none of its models will have internal combustion engines past 2030. It wants to sell cars powered by electricity alone. So, forget mild-hybrids, HEVs, PHEVs and, of course, petrol-powered comfy wagons. Will it diversify the portfolio with FCEVs (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles)? Well, we sure hope it does.

Clearly, the Swedish brand has to start now to achieve that monumental goal. And it has done just that! Taking the pure-electric model options to two is what you see here – the Volvo C40 Recharge. Yes, it is essentially an XC40 Recharge, but without the X in the equation. Look at it this way – Volvo took the donor car and packed it in a fancier gown.

Volvo wanted to give the C40 Recharge its own identity. In form, it’ll please those who seek a high-riding vehicle that also has a coupe-ish silhouette. The new zero-emissions car has a slightly lower roofline and a downward slanting rear end. There’s more. The C40 Recharge has a tweaked front end, courtesy of a different bumper and headlights with “pixel tech”. Even the fog lamps are now horizontal and not the circular kinds as seen on the XC40 Recharge. As you’d expect, the rear end on Volvo’s second all-electric offering doesn’t resemble that on the donor car.

Dimensionally, the new car is a tad bit longer and broader than the XC40 Recharge. But because of the lowered height, practicality does take a hit, especially in the rear headroom department. That said, the C40 Recharge has managed to keep the front and rear luggage spaces almost as accomodating. A highlight worth mentioning is that there’s no use of leather indoors – a first for Volvo Cars.

Propelling the C40 Recharge is the same dual-motor, AWD combo that does duty in the XC40 Recharge. That means a total of 402bhp/660Nm on tap, enough for a 0-100kmph sprint time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 180kmph. A 78kWh battery provides the necessary juices. If driven sensibly, the C40 Recharge can travel 420km (WLTP) on a single charge. A completely depleted battery will take eight hours to replenish with an 11kW charger. Use a 150kw DC feed, and it can reach 80 per cent charge in about 40 minutes.

Volvo will manufacture the C40 Recharge at its plant in Ghent, Belgium, and that process will commence later this year. The brand will introduce five additional EVs by 2025. By then, the Swedish carmaker expects EVs to contribute half of its annual sales, while PHEVs will complete the other half.