Two Volvo-designed electric cars have entered the North American market recently: the XC40 Recharge SUV and the high-riding liftback Polestar 2. Sales figures promised to be good, but the latest news reveal unpleasant truth about the cars’ actual driving range.
Unlike Europe, which currently mainly uses the rather liberal WLTP standard to assess range, the EPA standard adopted in the United States is much stricter. It imitates driving in scorching hot weather, in extreme cold, and factors in the energy loss from using the on-board HVAC system in both of these extremities. Unsurprisingly, the resulting numbers can fall way short of the advertised ones.
According to EPA, the Volvo XC40 Recharge is only good for 208 miles (335 kilometers) on a charge, whereas the Polestar 2 is marginally ahead with its 233 miles (375 km). The duo was WLTP-rated for 248 and 292 miles, respectively (400 and 470 km).
As if this weren’t bad enough, Polestar had to recall the entire fleet of its 2 model produced so far due to powertrain failures. Owners who had their cars picked up for servicing will have to wait up to a month before getting them back.