Heading
Close X
Menu
Volvo Car UK asked some of their existing customers what they wanted to know about Electrification. So, our knowledgeable team of experts here at Waylands have answered your questions.
From charging, to environment, to range, we’ve got it covered!
Why is the initial price so much higher?
- As with any new product in a new market, it will have brand new, industry-leading technology, with a large amount of research and development investment. Additionally, Volvo ensure all of the material within their battery cells are ethically sourced and can be traced using blockchain.
How do I work out full ownership costs?
- The easiest way to work out full ownership costs for a hybrid or electric car is by using Volvo's 'Total Cost of Ownership' calculator, here.
- Battery technology has evolved hugely. Although with every battery cell, there will be certain amounts of degradation. However, there should be no serious noticeable drop-off, until well outside the warranty period (8years/100k miles).
Is there a warranty on the battery?
- There s an 8 year warranty on Volvo batteries, and also a 100,000 mile warranty, whichever comes first. When being serviced, the battery's integrity is thoroughly checked.
What does it cost to replace the battery?
- We should never really see this happen. Only in the case of a technical fault should a battery need replacing. Think of the EV battery as your engine and gearbox combined, very rarely would you need to replace. The cost would be similar. It is very hard to give a figure for what the replacement cost of a battery is, as most EV cars are too new and batteries are under warranty if anything was to go wrong. Some batteries can be fixed due to the cells they are made from, cells can be replaced, however it is an expensive and time consuming process which requires a specialist technician.
What is the environmental and social impact of mining the batteries?
- Any cobalt used in Volvo batteries is fully traceable and ethically sourced.
Does the battery get recycled after use?
- The battery after use can be recharged using solar panels at a factory to hold power, then after this it can be broken down for components used in laptops, phones etc.
- An EV is a vehicle that runs purely off a battery, whereas a hybrid runs off of a combustion engine and also a battery.
Does Hybrid make more sense for me?
- This is very dependent and lifestyle. Hybrid is a great stepping stone to electric. For short journeys into/around town, you may want to reserve your fuel levels and run your car off of electric, but for longer journeys use petrol, whilst charging the battery. Daily use will give you a great idea of the principles of charging and whether you would like to take the next step to full EV.
- Much less Co2 emissions when driving a hybrid, and 0 Co2 emissions in a full electric.
Is the range enough for me?
- This will be dependent on your driving style. Our team are on hand to answer any queries like this.
What is the real-life range?
- As with ICE vehicles, you can maximise range with driving style. IE with gentle acceleration and progressive regenerative braking, you will see close to published range figures.
How do you charge at home?
- You can use a wall box to charge at home, which usually takes less time than other methods.
What's the cost of charging?
- The cost of charging is dependent on what electricity provider you are with, overnight charging is the cheapest option as you will be charged less during the night. Ultimately, if you were to only charge over night it would be much less than filling up a tank of fuel. Volvo also has options with new cars, such as ‘Plugsurfing’, which can save you money across various providers.
Are there different kinds of plugs and chargers?
- Normal charging can take up to 40 hours using a 3 pin socket. Fast charging can take up to 8 hours using a wall box. Rapid charging can take 40 minutes using a 150kWh DC charger. 7 – 22kWh found in most shopping centre car parks, which will charge on trickle or fast. All Volvo hybrid and EV use type 2 connectors.
What's the infrastructure of public charging where I live?
- ZapMap is a great website to use, it will tell you what chargers are near-by and which ones are private or public.