Drivers of fully electric Volvo models in Europe will soon have easy access to over 200,000 charging points, as the company has selected charging firm Plugsurfing as its partner of choice, enabling seamless long-distance travel across the continent.
The Swedish brand intends to implement access to these public charging points in 38 countries on the Plugsurfing platform in the onboard navigation, as well as sell BEVs with an included Plugsurfing account.
Benefits of this partnership
With the Plugsurfing agreement, Volvo Cars eliminate the most common obstacles for electric car drivers, such as inadequate access to charging points and a highly fragmented European market for charging infrastructure. The agreement with Plugsurfing, one of the largest and rapidly growing charging network aggregators in Europe, allows drivers to easily charge their electric Volvo, regardless of where they are on the continent and does away with the need for countless national subscriptions.
A Plugsurfing account, which will be included on every fully electric Volvo Recharge model in Europe, gives access to numerous local charging networks around Europe, allowing for seamless cross-border travel in their electric car. The Plugsurfing platform also provides possibilities for other new and exciting charging-related services that may be added at a later stage.
Commenting on this partnership, Björn Annwall, head of EMEA at Volvo Cars, said, “Your Plugsurfing service will cover all your charging and driving needs: the daily commute, on-location charging and long-distance travel. This freedom of mind makes driving an electric Volvo even more enjoyable and hasslefree.”
Customers will be able to charge their car with a contactless charge card or smartphone app at any of Plugsurfing’s 200,000+ supported charging points in 38 European countries. All charging events and payments are processed monthly, while Plugsurfing does not lock customers into a subscription to use the service. Volvo Cars will start rolling out the Plugsurfing service with the fully electric XC40 Recharge P8 when deliveries start later in 2020. By 2025, Volvo aims 50 percent of global sales to be attributed to fully electric cars, with the rest coming from hybrids.
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The XC40 Recharge P8 is the first of a family of fully electric Volvos and the company’s first fully electric car. The all-wheel-drive XC40 Recharge P8 offers a range of over 400 km (WLTP) on a single charge and output of 408hp. The battery charges to 80 percent of its capacity in 40 minutes on a DC fast-charging infrastructure.