The electric SUV prototype foreshadows a soon-to-be-released flagship version and demonstrates how the EV infrastructure will alter vehicle design.
The Volvo Concept Recharge exemplifies the design advances that devoted electric platforms will offer, including more adjustable dimensions and interior space.
The concept Recharge is the first vehicle to utilize Volvo’s new design language, which emphasizes technology with elements like the large lidar sensor on the roof.
The Concept Recharge’s style will most likely be comparable to that of the upcoming electric XC90 replacement.
Volvo has introduced the Concept Recharge, which anticipates the Swedish carmaker future user interface and demonstrates how advanced technologies will progressively be integrated into its vehicles. The idea is a two-row SUV powered by electric powertrain, and it shows how Volvo believes electric vehicle platforms can change transportation architecture.
Volvo’s current electric vehicles, such as the XC40 Recharge, are still built on a design meant for internal combustion engines, which means they are primarily constrained by the packing needs of gas cars. Instead, the next generation of Volvo EVs will be built on a specialized electric vehicle chassis.
The battery pack will be hidden beneath the car’s floor like it is in most specialized EVs. Volvo’s need for a big battery pack to increase range necessitated the concept’s wheelbase being extended. As a result, the car has more internal space and shorter front and rear overhangs, with the wheels, pushed to the vehicle’s borders. Volvo was able to push the A-pillars forward and lower the hood since there was no engine beneath the hood, which is believed to increase aerodynamics and therefore range. Because electric vehicles don’t need a bulky transmission unit between the front seats, the flat floor allows for more storage.
The Concept Recharge also introduces a new design philosophy, according to Volvo. Despite the fact that the idea is still recognized as a Volvo, the style is more streamlined and basic than the company’s current models. Some EVs, such as the Ford Mustang Mach-E, have attempted to imitate the grilles necessary on ICE cars, but the Concept Recharge foregoes the standard face in favor of a flat “shield-like” shape broken up by the iconic Volvo appearance with the logo bisected by a diagonal line. The Thor’s Hammer headlights have also been modified, with a graphic that rises up at night to reveal the primary headlight cells.
Thin vertical taillights retain a design concept from Volvo’s station wagons and SUVs at the back, but they now include tiny fins that expand at high speeds to aid aerodynamics. The concept’s interior is light and airy, with a 15.0-inch touchscreen that will serve as the foundation for Volvo’s next-generation infotainment system. The lidar sensor, developed in collaboration with Luminar and a crucial component of Volvo’s future autonomous driving capabilities, is also prominently displayed on the concept’s roof.
Volvo also utilized the event to reveal a new flagship electric SUV that would come next year, presumably as a replacement for the existing XC90. Even though there are no plans to manufacture the Idea Recharge, this forthcoming EV SUV will most likely take design cues from this futuristic concept.
