This is the ‘Greenage'. The age of green number plate cars – EVs or Electric Vehicles. 

Almost every day, I spot a new model on the road. But, if you head over to our dedicated EV section, it is one new launch after launch – globally and in India. So while it is almost a daily activity to learn about a new EV, it is not every day that you are invited for a road trip… especially given the pandemic.

What is rarer is to be invited for a road trip in an EV! But, with the pandemic waning off, this was one opportunity that I could not let go of.

 So, when Volvo invited MWTV for a Road Trip in their yet-to-be-launched XC40 Recharge SUV, I jumped on board instantly. But, of course, Nilesh and Pritam expected that I would not turn down such an opportunity, even on a hectic working Monday.

Since it was a road trip, I immediately referred to our MWTV checklist and started packing. That’s when Himanshu from Volvo called to ask about my flight preference. I was confused. I asked him, “Are we driving back to Mumbai from Goa?” His reply left me completely surprised. “No, sir, we are driving from Delhi to Rajasthan!” 

Now, I was thoroughly excited.

Volvo ensured we landed comfortably from Mumbai to Delhi, and we were picked up from the airport in style! Riding to Andaz hotel, Aerocity, Delhi in a Volvo S60 was just the start of the luxurious trip. There are always some bits that are distinctly Volvo, and one can’t miss being comfortable and feeling pampered at the same time.

In contrast, as ‘predictable’ as the Volvo S60 was, Andaz was quirky in its way. The sight of brightly coloured Ambassadors in the lobby was just the thing to perk up the interest of car enthusiasts. But this was just business as usual at Andaz. 

We rushed in for a quick shower and reached Studio 8 on the first floor for a briefing session by Mr. Amit Jain, Head of PR and Communications, Volvo India.

Given the entire vibe around the presentation, the route, the delegate kit – there were two common elements throughout:

• Attention to detail and being prepared for every possibility
• Eco-friendly, climate-conscious approach by the brand.

Volvo has consistently raised the bar for safety. Still, in recent times, the Swedish brand has left no opportunity to highlight its commitment to slowing down climate change and making pro-environment choices. Be it their climate neutral plants or choice of materials in the cars, Volvo has made its stance abundantly clear.

Given that this was an electric vehicle and Volvo’s first electric car in the country, they took things up a notch!

Everything, and I mean everything, was eco-friendly.

Bag tags – handmade paper with a plantable seed and coir thread

Delegate ID card – plantable paper with eco-friendly ink and a cork based lanyard. Clean, classy, and eco-friendly

Notebook – each page is plantable and environment conscious.

Even the pencil has a seed a the non-business end that can be planted. The pencil I received had a basil seed. I do intend to plant it and watch it grow.

Alright, so maybe it was all just plantable paper? No. What sets Volvo apart from any other similar event is the attention to detail. Just like the cars!

All our cars, the experience drive vehicles, had some snacks and water bottles placed inside, ready for the road trip. Of course, the Volvo XC40 Recharge has wide door pads on each of the four doors with dedicated space for bottles – but that’s something you would have to read about in our coverage of the first drive. What’s remarkable is that each of those four bottle holders had a water bottle for us, but not a throwaway plastic bottle kind, a tastefully adorned glass bottle of water. That is a genuine commitment to the environment and not just a cursory tag of being eco-friendly.

After being oriented about the route, the assistance cars, and an overall feature briefing of the actual Volvo XC40 Recharge – we were flagged off at around 11:30 with a full charge and almost full load of occupants.

We took our turns driving the car, but honestly, it was the car that did most of the driving itself. Again, I digress. To read more about the vehicle, head over to this article.

We crossed three domestic borders while we set out for our 100 km journey, from Delhi to Haryana to Rajasthan. Google Maps on the SUV touchscreen infotainment system showed us not just our direction, time to travel, but also the battery amount required for the journey. While going towards Neemrana Fort Hotel, Rajasthan, we were startled from our sedate drive by a monstrous truck being driven skillfully at relatively high (but legal) speeds. It was sans any trailer, and the driver enjoyed going around in just the cab. As the truck zipped past, we couldn’t help but wonder what brand was this big beast that could accelerate nimbly and change lanes swiftly. It took a little catching up effort, but when we saw the badge at the front, all our questions were instantly answered – it was a Volvo! The sheer fate of driving an electric Volvo while being a shoulder to shoulder (well, almost) with a Volvo truck was too good an opportunity to be passed. It took a bit of skilful and determined driving from Nilesh, but we did manage this fantastic photo op with these two Volvos in one frame.

The official Volvo photographer, who was trailing behind us in the tracking car, was delighted at the opportunity and wasted no time in making the best out of it.

Apart from the car with its healthy torque, this was the drive’s highlight towards Neemrana Fort Hotel. 

Once we reached there, it was as if we had been through a time portal and were in another era altogether. Red bricks, loads of sand, solid structures, and pretty jharokhas. A beautifully maintained memory of a bygone era that now serves to enthral tourists with a small-time machine experience that is as surreal as it is earthy. A delicious lunch accompanied by soulful folk music made it a memorable afternoon.

But, we weren’t tourists out to enjoy the sights. Instead, we made quick work of the buffet and headed out to explore the car and some great Pritam pictures.

As the temperatures touched 45 degrees, we decided to retreat into the superb comfort of the Volvo XC40 Recharge, close the panoramic sunroof, and head back. Given the large battery pack with the electric motor, range anxiety was not an issue in this EV, but the traffic anxiety was natural. I enjoyed most of the return journey in the driver’s seat as I weaved my way through traffic and made optimal use of the ADAS II and Adaptive Cruise Control while staying testing the top speed of the Volvo XC40 Recharge. Although, I am not sure I can say the same for Pritam. By the time he took over the wheel, he had to deal with the usual Delhi evening traffic in some patches, something Google did warn us about. But, Pritam still managed to try out the one-pedal driving and regenerative braking to make the most of the lithium ion battery.

Nevertheless, it is not as bad as it sounds, mainly because the car sounds so good. No, not the engine note. But the fantastic HarmonKardon speaker system with an air woofer completely drowns out the chaos of the traffic around you and transcends to a very sedate and calm experience. Did I mention that the car is equipped with Google Assistant and Google Play Store along with Google Home connectivity, but misses out on leather upholstery as a conscious choice.

I seem to be drifting back to the car rather than the journey. But, I really can’t help it since the trip was about the car, and the right vehicle makes every voyage memorable.

We ended the experience drive back at Andaz, without having to stop at any kind of fast charger equipped charging station or use any DC charging point. Over dinner we could share our candid feedback with Mr. Jyoti Malhotra, CEO of Volvo India and Mr. Amit Jain – face to face. The sheer passion and knowledge they both shared for the vehicle were commendable. They were well versed with the specs from powertrain, range, and android functions built in this electric SUV. MWTV can assure you that Volvo India has put their best foot forward with a well-thought product in the Volvo XC40 Recharge. But, please don’t take our word for it. Test drive the Volvo XC40 Recharge yourself, and you may change your opinion about EVs and their real-world range.

Do you want to experience the Volvo XC40 Recharge? If you are in Mumbai, fill out this form, and MWTV will help you out.

Stay tuned with MWTV to know about the pricing of the Volvo XC40 Recharge and how it stacks up against the Audi e-Tron and the Jaguar i-Pace, since (maybe) the price difference might just be a few lakh around each other. Bookings will open in July 2022.

Read about our First Drive of the Volvo XC40 Recharge.