How to Choose Your Volvo EV charging stations?

Introduction

The Swedish car maker, Volvo, has had significant successes in the past with their fossil-fueled cars but is now moving to phase out all their gasoline-powered vehicles by 2030. While this move is a huge commitment, it should never be taken as impossible as there is already evidence of the possibilities with the many models of EVs they already display and sell to their customers. The challenge, however, is getting a suitable charging station for all these EVs and closing the gap caused by the increasing demand on the already thinning charging infrastructure. This post shows you all you need to know about getting a suitable charging station for Volvo’s EVs, especially the XC40.

II. What Volvo Drivers Need to Know about EV Charging

As of 2020, Volvo’s commitment to becoming an all-electric vehicle brand was already underway, claiming that 50% of all vehicle sales were EVs. Consequently, Volvo is doing everything possible to actualize its projected date of 2030 by offering several models of fully EVs and PHEVs. One of these models includes the XC40, a fully electric vehicle built as an SUV with a sleek design and enhanced functionalities. It also has higher performance, including over 200-mile range and less than 5 seconds for accelerating from 0 to 60 miles. 

III. Volvo EV Charging & Range

Volvo EV models have some of the most amazing specifications in the EV industry, including their onboard capacity for rapid charging. The other significant feature of Volvo EVs is their range of 257 miles per fully charged battery capacity of 78kWh. This battery also has an efficiency of about 380Wh per mile, making it one of the most efficient EV batteries in the industry. Additionally, using a level 2 charger with a 22kW capacity takes about 7 hours to fully charge this battery. 

IV. Connector Types and Charging Rate

Connecting the Volvo EV to a charging station is often done in one of two ways depending on the type of charger. For a home charger, a type 2 connector will suffice for both slow and fast home charging with a maximum charging rate of 7.4kW and 11kW for single-phase and three-phased AC chargers, respectively. In contrast, the rapid charger uses a CSS (Combined Charging Connector) charging at a maximum rate of 151kW. 

V. Volvo EV Charging Times

The time spent charging a Volvo EV depends significantly on the type of charger, level of battery depletion, and the size or capacity of the battery. However, all types of chargers, including levels 1,2, and 3, differ significantly in charging times, with the slowest being level 1 and the fastest being level 3 chargers. 

Taking the Volvo XC40 as an example, a level 1 charger with a 120V power supply will take about 34 hours to fully charge its battery from zero. Also, a level 2 charger with a 22kW capacity will fully charge the same battery in 7 hours. However, the level 3 charger, often the fastest with a capacity of 150kW, takes about 20 minutes to charge the battery from 20% to 80% capacity.  

VI. Level 3 DC Fast Charging

A level 3 DC fast charger produces up to 150kW power when charging an EV, giving it the capacity to charge a battery from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes. However, not every EV has the capacity to take delivery of a huge amount of power. Thankfully, Volvo’s EVs, including the XC40 and the C40, can comfortably handle the level 3 DC fast charging using a CSS connector.

VII. Difference in the Power of the Chargers

Several differences separate all types of chargers in terms of performance and power, which makes them suitable for different charging scenarios and possibilities. It also gives them different advantages over other types of chargers. 

The level 1 chargers are often suitable for home charging as they rely on the 120V supplied to homes and residential dwellings by power distribution companies. This power supply is why the level 1 charger is the slowest of the three chargers supplying only 7 miles per hour. However, it has an advantage as the cheapest charger with no installation and no installation cost. Also, most level 1 charger users charge their EVs overnight, the off-peak period when the electricity tariff is the lowest. 

The level 2 charger is faster than the level charger. It can be used at home and in public charging, with charging capacities slightly different to accommodate the highest possible residential power supply. However, the level 2 charger is also more technical to install and expensive than the level 1 charger as the installation cost can significantly contribute to its high cost. 

With the level 3 charger, you get the fastest charging time of the three levels of charging even though it is also the most expensive of the three chargers. Also, the onboard charger of the EV must be able to accommodate the high-power delivery from the level 3 charger. 

VIII. Volvo EV Charging Cost 

Often, an EV’s charging cost depends on certain factors like the battery size, your location, and the charging station in use. Nonetheless, charging your Volvo EV will cost about $21 for full home charging or $19 to charge your Volvo EV battery from 20% to 80% capacity using a commercial fast charger. However, these quotes are just estimates since where you drive your Volvo EV can significantly increase or reduce your charging cost, especially with government incentives or the lack of them. 

Related Article: Electric Car Charging Costs: How Much does it Cost to Charge Your Electric Vehicle?

IX. How to Choose the Right EV Chargers for Your Volvo?

Here are the essential considerations to reduce the confusion when you’re in the market for a suitable charger. 

Supplier reliability – The reliability of the supplier or manufacturer you’ve chosen for your EV charger can be critical when selecting the right charger for your Volvo EV. A supplier’s track record will show how consistent they’ve been in supplying a quality charger to their customers. In addition, the number of good reviews from past customers is often a good indication of a supplier’s dependability. 

Battery capacity – For Volvo EVs, considering the battery size will also assist you in selecting the most suitable charger. For example, if your Volvo has a big-capacity battery, it may be better to consider buying a level 2 fast charging station to save you from charging delays. However, for a small battery, home charging may be suitable, in which case you may only require a level 1 charger which you can use for overnight charging at home. 

Driving style –With a driving style that only involves driving around the city, the required charging station might be limited to a level 1 or a slow level 2 home charger. But with a long-distance driving style, you are safer with a fast level 2 charger while you supplement with level 3 fast chargers available publicly. It might also require you to get an additional connector compatible with different types of level 3 chargers. 

Pricing – Having a budget that is not at par with the required charger only defeats the purpose of getting a suitable charger for your Volvo EV. However, getting from a Chinese supplier like EV-TOP can help you significantly reduce your purchase cost with competitive prices without compromising the quality of the charger. 

Quality – The supplier’s track record of quality manufacturing and supply is also critical as it impacts the charger’s durability and the battery’s longevity. 

Related Article: EV Charging Levels

Related Article: How to Choose Your Proper Home EV Charger?

X. Where to Buy the Volvo Wall Charger?

Google Search – Search engines have become very intelligent over the years since the first one appeared on our screen. So, typing a search query into Google search is often a very effective, cheap, and fast way of locating quality EV charger suppliers with millions of results for your query. But still, you may have to first understand the use of search operators, including “+” and “-” to be more efficient in your search. These operators help you add relevantly and delete irrelevant pages from your search results.

Trade exhibitions – Manufacturers and equipment, tools, and devices suppliers often hold trade exhibitions and trade shows yearly and sometimes twice a year. These exhibitions showcase the products and new technologies of producers and manufacturers and offer you a great platform to meet quality EV charger manufacturers. But that’s not all. You get a first-hand examination of these chargers and good discounts once you eventually find a suitable charger to purchase. 

Online stores – There are several online stores with well-organized products that you can further filter using categories like industry, price, size, and country to make your product selection and purchase easier and faster. 

XI. EV-Top Advantages for Volvo Owners

Below, you’ll find some of the most important benefits EV-TOP offers their Volvo EV customers that separate them from mediocre EV charger manufacturers.

• Innovative – With a heavy investment in research and development backed by a team of highly-skilled and experienced individuals, EV-TOP has produced some of the most innovative EV charging solutions in the EV industry. Their commitment to employing the best hands and a sustained customer satisfaction culture helps them to deliver consistently. 

• Certified – International certification and industry standard compliance are also part of the benefits EV-TOP brings to the table. Their portfolio of certifications include ISO, SAE, UL, IE, and other internationally recognized standards of quality and safety for their customers’ assurance. 

• Affordable – With its strategic location in the Chinese Silicon Valley, EV-TOP has been able to attract the industry’s best hands and reduce production costs. This strategy has, in turn, helped them present their products with some of the most competitive prices you’ll find in the industry. 

• Reliable – EV-TOP has one of the fastest turnaround times and has been known to even surpass customers’ expectations of reliability. 
• User-Centric – EV chargers from EV-TOP have always been centered around great user experience using innovations that enable easy access to functions and utilization of the charger.

Conclusion

Finally, Volvo’s ambition to end all production of gasoline models by 2030 and replace their entire sales outfit with only EVs is a good one for both vehicle owners and the environment. However, such great feats require careful consideration of the available supporting infrastructure like the existing charging station. Hence, Volvo EV owners need to vividly consider specific factors, including their driving styles, battery capacity, location, budget, and quality. But most importantly, they’ll have to choose a supplier with a commitment to reliability, innovation, and affordable pricing like EV-TOP. Think of it, who needs a charger that’ll cause more problems than it solves?