2000 Volvo S40 Automatic 4-door Sedan on 2040-cars

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5 thoughts about the 2024 Volvo C40 Recharge

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. -- The Volvo C40 Recharge is a quirky yet elegant little hatch with a lot to talk about. Along with the XC40, it’s the first rear-wheel-drive Volvo since the 1990s. The cabin blends Google power with Scandinavian simplicity. I think the C40 looks like an early crossover from the ‘80s. So yes, I have thoughts. Five of them. The design reminds me of the AMC Eagle Stay with me here. Am I the only one who thinks this looks like an AMC Eagle? ItÂ’s the big wheels — these diamond-cut silver and black rollers measure 20 inches — and the silhouette. A slightly lifted hatchback is a crossover these days, but it shares some of the quirkiness and car-like quality of the Eagle, which could be considered an early crossover. Tenuous design connections aside, the slab front end, LED headlights and prominent Volvo emblem conjure the requisite premium feel. It does look the part of an EV, which is a natural vibe for Volvos in general. They exude quirky sophistication layered over Scandinavian minimalism and sensibility. Not your flavor of vodka? You may have heard the Dodge Charger is now an electric vehicle. I had an odd charging experience With a few minutes to kill on a Saturday morning, I pulled into a ChargePoint station to try to grab some bonus miles. I didnÂ’t have much time, but the ChargePoint chargers were literally across the street from where I was going. Might as well be plugged into one if IÂ’m going to sit in the parking lot, drink coffee and read Autoblog on my phone. Alas, the driver screen read “initializing charging” but never consummated the charge. I unplugged and re-plugged. No dice. ChargePoint charged me $2 for the pleasure of hooking up my car and not charging for five minutes. Like I said, I was just killing time and didnÂ’t absolutely need the juice, so away I went. I try to make a point of charging EVs on public infrastructure for each test car, and the results are uneven. This C40 had been recently charged, so I tend to think it was just a ‘bad handshakeÂ’ between the car and the charger, which seems to be common for EV owners. I suppose it could have been user error, too. In these situations thereÂ’s a tendency to assign blame. IÂ’m not. IÂ’m just saying it didnÂ’t work. ItÂ’s a fun little thing to drive The single, rear-mounted motor delivers 248 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque.

Volvo reveals its first vehicle made of fossil-free steel

A few months ago, Volvo teamed up with Swedish steel producer SSAB to develop a type of steel it can use for its vehicles that doesn't use fossil fuels. Now, the automaker has revealed what it says is the world's first vehicle made of fossil-free steel: A four wheeled fully electric load carrier made for quarrying and mining. In addition to having no greenhouse gas emission, it's also autonomous and can follow a pre-programmed route to transport materials at a job site. SSAB produces fossil-free steel by replacing the coal used during the manufacturing process with hydrogen from electrolysis. As Forbes notes, though, the whole vehicle isn't exactly fossil-free, since the steel used for its components provided by third-party suppliers, such as its electric motor, were made using traditional means. Still, Volvo Group CTO Lars Stenqvist told the publication that "majority of the steel" in the vehicle is fossil free. He said three tons of the carrier's 8.2-ton weight is made of green steel from SSAB, and those eight tons include other heavy components like the vehicle's tires. Volvo plans to start a small-scale production for the vehicle next year and to scale up production, depending on the availability of steel from SSAB. The Swedish manufacturer is hoping to start mass-producing its fossil-free steel in 2026, so we may see more Volvo vehicles made using the material by that time. Martin Lundstedt, President and CEO Volvo Group, said in a statement: "This initiative with SSAB sets the benchmark for a fossil-free future. Just as the nations of the world come together at COP26 to address climate change, so too must organizations and industries work in collaboration to develop innovative new solutions for a greenhouse gas emission free future. Volvo Group is committed to pioneering partnerships such as this with SSAB to develop attractive, safe and efficient new vehicles and machines that pave the way for a more sustainable transport and infrastructure system adopted for the future." This article originally appeared on Engadget. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Autoblog Podcast #317

Mitsubishi Mirage, Toyota thinks of beefing up US production, Marchionne on Alfa, Dart and minivans, Ford Atlas concept, Honda Gear concept
Episode #317 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Jeff Ross and Michael Harley bookend the other podcast topics with a pair from the Montreal Auto Show, the Mitsubishi Mirage and Honda Gear concept, and in between we talk about Toyota building all its US-market cars stateside, Hyundai building a Nurburgring test facility, Sergio Marchionne's latest words about Alfa Romeo, Dodge Dart powertrains and the future of Chrysler vans. Some chatter about the Ford Atlas concept finishes up the meat of the 'cast and then we wrap with your questions. For those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Keep reading for our Q&A module for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #317: