2025 Volvo XC40 and C40 Recharge electric cars get renamed to EX40 and EC40 for update as Swedish brand stays on target to be fully EV in Australia by 2026

While other car companies are starting to get cold feet on making the switch to electric cars, Volvo is keeping its word on its commitment to EVs with the Swedish brand announcing that its small-sized XC40 Recharge wagon and C40 Recharge coupe models have been renamed EX40 and EC40, heralding the fast-approaching end of the line for the company's internal-combustion cars.

Recharge was the term originally used by Volvo to let consumers know the car had an electric or hybrid powertrain, so as to not have them confused with combustion models. But with the company planning to only sell fully electric cars globally by 2030, the need to differentiate won't be necessary soon.

In a press statement, Volvo said that while the petrol version of the XC40 will be around for a bit longer, new model names - which denote EX40 and EC40 - means they'll now fit into the rest of the electric line-up.

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"The fully electric XC40 Recharge and C40 Recharge models are renamed to EX40 and EC40 respectively, now seamlessly fitting in with our other fully electric models: the EX30, EX90 and EM90. The XC40 name remains for internal combustion-powered variants of the model," Volvo's statement reads.

"The move reflects our transformation towards becoming a fully electric car manufacturer. In 2023, fully electric cars represented 16 per cent of our global sales volumes, an increase of 70 per cent versus 2022. The EX30, EX90 and EM90 will all hit roads this year and bring the number of fully electric models in our product portfolio to five, with several more new models to come.

"The update also includes the removal of Recharge badging from our plug-in hybrid models, which are now denoted simply by the T6 or T8 suffix indicating different levels of power output."

While Volvo has set 2030 as the year it makes the switch to selling EVs only, the date the company has set for Australia is 2026.

"We don't have to wait for global. We want to accelerate these plans locally. We see an opportunity in our marketplace, and we think our consumers are ready," Volvo Car Australia's Managing Director Stephen Connor told CarsGuide in 2022.

"If you look at the electric space, the market will be very crowded by 2030 - if we wait until then we will lose [electric] market share to our competitors."

We've recently seen brands such as Ford, Toyota and Genesis make u-turns on their fully electric plans and pursue hybrids as a stepping stone first as the global appetite for EVs appears to slow.

"Our aim is to be the first brand in Australia which has fully converted from a combustion automaker to fully electric," Connor said.

While the Australian deadline is less than two years away, Volvo still sells cars with internal-combustion engines. Along with the XC40, there's the mid-sized XC60 which is also available as a hybrid, the XC90 which also comes in hybrid form, and the S60 sedan and its V60 station wagon sibling.

Volvo recorded 11,128 sales in 2023, with the XC40 being its most popular model by a long way with 5837 sold last year.