There was a time when companies and users scoffed at the idea of the electric vehicle making it to the mass market. Sure, automakers dabbled with the idea, and concepts came and went. But no one really took the idea seriously, except for Elon Musk and Tesla, of course. Now most automakers are fervently working on EVs, and the Volvo Concept Recharge is the latest.
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The company states that the Volvo Concept Recharge is a “manifesto” for the next generation of all-electric Volvo Cars. I’ll give them this much, the design is stunning, and that interior looks spacious and inviting. The company made the interior larger due to there being no gas engine to take up space.
According to the company, the next generation of Volvo EVs will feature flat floors just as the Concept Recharge has. By removing the engine and replacing it with a full battery pack under the flat floor, the designers have extended the wheelbase and the wheel size of the car. The result is shorter overhangs and a lot more interior space, including a large storage area between the front seats.
Here’s what the company’s press release had to say:
“Our Concept Recharge represents a manifesto for the all-electric future of Volvo Cars, as well as a new type of vehicle,” said Robin Page, head of design. “It displays new and modern proportions that go hand-in-hand with increased versatility and shows what technology can enable in terms of design.”
The Volvo design language also takes a new form inside the Concept Recharge. The flat floor provides more space and a better seating position for all those inside the car.
A large, 15 inch standing touch screen is the centre of a new and improved user experience for the company’s next-generation connected infotainment system. Designed to be logical and intuitive to use, technology helps provide a serene and calm experience.
The latest infotainment technology goes hand in hand with those other hallmarks of Scandinavian design: clean lines and extensive use of sustainable and natural materials inside the cabin.
“Inside the Concept Recharge, we create a truly Scandinavian living room feeling,” said Robin Page. “The interior integrates our latest user experience technology with beautiful, sustainable and natural materials. Each part of the interior is like a piece of art and could stand alone as individual furniture in a room. We use the latest technologies but not for their own sake. We always focus on the benefits that technologies can bring.”
Finally, the Concept Recharge also reflects Volvo Cars’ safety ambitions in coming years. A LiDAR sensor, built by technology company Luminar and a critical part of Volvo Cars’ plan for forthcoming safe autonomous drive technology, is placed in an optimal position on the roof to collect data on the environment around the car.
“With the Concept Recharge we continue the rich roots of Volvo’s design DNA in a modern and fresh way as we move into our all-electric future,” concluded Robin Page. “It represents everything we believe customers expect from a pure electric Volvo and we’re excited to take this philosophy into our next generation of cars.”
Volvo
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