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Volvo on Call smartphone app now gives plug-in drivers insight into electric driving patterns

Call it a step counter for electrified cars: drivers of Volvo plug-in-hybrid cars can now gain new insights into their electric driving patterns, as Volvo Cars introduces a range of new features on its Volvo on Call smartphone app in all Volvo on Call markets.

 

With the additional functionalities, Volvo Cars aims to further encourage drivers of Volvo plug-in-hybrids to charge and drive fully electric as much as possible, and more generally boost interest in the benefits of electric cars and sustainable mobility.

 

The new and improved Volvo on Call app allows drivers to see how much distance they have driven in fully electric mode and their electricity and fuel consumption, among other metrics. Later this year the service will also give drivers the possibility to see the impact of their driving on their CO2 footprint, as well as the estimated fuel costs saved by driving in fully electric mode.

 

“We want the Volvo On Call app to make life easier for you as a user and create a more personal experience,” said Ödgärd Andersson, chief digital officer. “As the car becomes ever more connected, the potential of the app increases and we intend over time for the app to be as much a part of the Volvo as the car itself.”

 

For applicable Volvo Recharge models, bought during the offer period, the platform will also inform drivers on the status of the electricity refund launched last year*. Recharge is the overarching name for all chargeable Volvos with a fully electric and plug-in hybrid powertrain.

 

The new Volvo on Call functionalities are available for all Volvo plug-in-hybrid models built on the SPA and CMA platforms sold after 2015, in the 47 countries around the globe where Volvo on Call operates. In China, similar functionalities will be integrated into the popular WeChat platform.

 

“Just like a step counter helps people exercise more, I believe that by giving people better insight into their driving patterns, it will help them to drive in a more sustainable way,” said Björn Annwall, head of EMEA at Volvo Cars. “We see plug-in hybrids as ‘part time electric cars’ that encourage changes in people’s behaviour and help pave the way for a transition towards fully electric cars.”

 

Volvo Cars was the first established car maker to commit to all-out electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional internal combustion engine. It is already now a market leader in plug-in hybrid sales, which comprise almost 25 per cent of the company’s total sales in Europe.

 

Over the next five years, Volvo Cars will launch a range of fully electric cars, in line with its ambition to make all-electric cars 50 per cent of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids. Its first fully electric car, the XC40 Recharge P8, will go into production later this year in Ghent, Belgium.

 

Every Volvo model in the current range includes a Recharge option, from the small XC40 SUV through the 60 Series cars to the company’s flagship, the large XC90 SUV. Volvo Cars is the only car maker to offer a plug-in variant on every model in its line-up.

 

The updates to Volvo on Call announced today were informed by customer feedback and Volvo Cars will continue to develop the platform going forward, designing the service around customers.

 

* Terms and conditions differ per market, please check national Volvo Cars websites for details of the offer in each country.

 

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Volvo Car Group in 2019

For the 2019 financial year, Volvo Car Group recorded an operating profit of 14.3 BSEK (14.2 BSEK in 2018). Revenue over the period amounted to 274.1 BSEK (252.7 BSEK). For the full year 2019, global sales reached a record 705,452 (642,253) cars, an increase of 9.8 per cent versus 2018. The results underline the comprehensive transformation of Volvo Cars’ finances and operations in recent years, positioning the company for its next growth phase.

 

About Volvo Car Group

Volvo Cars was founded in 1927. Today, it is one of the most well-known and respected premium car brands in the world with sales of 705,452 cars in 2019 in about 100 countries. Volvo Cars has been under the ownership of the Zhejiang Geely Holding since 2010.

 

In 2019, Volvo Cars employed on average approximately 41,500 (41,500) full-time employees. Volvo Cars head office, product development, marketing and administration functions are mainly located in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Cars head office for APAC is located in Shanghai. The company’s main car production plants are located in Gothenburg (Sweden), Ghent (Belgium), South Carolina (US), Chengdu and Daqing (China), while engines are manufactured in Skövde (Sweden) and Zhangjiakou (China) and body components in Olofström (Sweden).

 

Under its new company purpose, Volvo Cars aims to provide customers with the Freedom to Move in a personal, sustainable and safe way. This purpose is reflected into a number of business ambitions: for example, by the middle of this decade it aims for half of its global sales to be fully electric cars and to establish five million direct consumer relationships. Volvo Cars is also committed to an ongoing reduction of its carbon footprint, with the ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.

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Descriptions and facts in this press material relate to Volvo Cars's international car range. Described features might be optional. Vehicle specifications may vary from one country to another and may be altered without prior notification.