2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge

Look out, Tesla Model Y, you have company

- Angus MacKenzie

Pop quiz: How many 400-plus-hp production cars has Volvo built? The 402-hp 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric P8 is one of the most significant cars the Swedish brand has launched, not for its power but because it’s Volvo’s first electric car.

The headlines: The XC40 Recharge P8 is powered by a pair of 201-hp electric motors, one mounted at the front axle, the other at the rear, for a total system output of 402 horsepower and 486 lb-ft of torque—and, of course, all-wheel drive. The motors are fed by a 78-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that will deliver an EPA-rated range of about 208 miles and can be recharged to 80 percent capacity in 40 minutes using a 150-kW DC fast charger. With federal tax credits included, the XC40 Recharge P8 will have a base price of less than $50,000 when it goes on sale in early 2021.

Volvo claims the all-electric XC40 will zip from 0 to 60 in just 4.7 seconds, 1.6 seconds less than it takes the 248-hp, conventionally powered AWD R-Design T5 model. And it feels every bit as quick as that on the road, whooshing past slower traffic in one effortless, silent surge of acceleration and leaping out of tight corners on a tidal wave of torque and AWD traction.