Volvo XC40 Recharge gets more range, faster charging after OTA update

It’s a happy day if you’re an XC40 Recharge owner as Volvo has made it better by rolling out an over-the-air update, free of charge (pun intended). Without having to take your vehicle to your local dealer, the zero-emissions crossover now offers an increase in charging speed and better driving range courtesy of the OTA update. In addition, the revisions bring new software for the main electronics systems.

But wait, there’s more. The XC40 Recharge with the update applied brings some changes to the Android-powered operating system of the infotainment while fixing what Volvo refers to as an “important safety-related propulsion bug fix.” The eco-friendly crossover has also received tweaks to the 360-degree camera, Bluetooth connectivity, and climate timers, while the owner’s manual has some revisions as well.

This OTA update is now automatically available and all you have to do is simply download the software package and install it. Sadly, Volvo doesn’t go into any details about what sort of range increase owners should be expecting post the update. As a reminder, the US-spec XC40 Recharge has been rated by EPA at 208 miles (335 kilometers) while the Euro version has a WLTP-certified range of more than 248 miles (400 kilometers).

The Geely-owned marque also doesn’t talk about how much quicker charging is now with the OTA update applied. As you may recall, the electric crossover can charge its 78-kWh battery from 0% to approximately 80% in 40 minutes with 150 kW DC fast charging and offers 50-62 miles (80-100 kilometers) of range for 10 minutes of charging. A full recharge through 11 kW AC takes anywhere between 8 to 10 hours.

The mechanically related Polestar 2 is also getting just about the same upgrades at the same time, bringing “range improvements and incremental speed improvements for DC charging.” The other tweaks received by the XC40 Recharge are also coming to the Polestar 2 via the OTA update.

Source: Volvo, Polestar