Volvo Cars has announced a ground-breaking global incentive scheme, branded the Recharge campaign, whereby the buyers of all new hybrid plug-ins will receive a full refund for all electricity used in the first year of ownership. And the great news for South African motorists is that the Recharge campaign is also being rolled out in South Africa – meaning a year of free electricity is also available in this country.
According to Greg Maruszewski, Managing Director of Volvo Car South Africa, the Recharge campaign offer will be applicable to all plug-in hybrids ordered from October 16. “In South Africa, this offer applies to the Volvo XC90 T8. Official measurement of electricity used will start in May 2020. After a year of driving this car, the owner/main driver will receive a complete refund equivalent to the cost of electricity used to power the car,” he reveals.
Motorists will be able to monitor electricity used via the Volvo on Call app. The refund is based on data received from Volvo on Call. The offer is only available to motorists who keep the vehicle for at least 12 months. It’s not applicable to rental cars.
Strong customer demand is expected as a result of this unique offer, “Volvo Cars will triple the capacity of plug-in hybrids as of 2020,” says Maruszewski.
The Recharge campaign was announced on October 16 at a global press conference livestreamed from Los Angeles. This coincided with the news that Volvo intends to reduce its lifecycle carbon footprint per car by 40 percent between 2018 and 2025. Simultaneously, Volvo launched the all electric XC40 Recharge – the first all electric car for Volvo. With effect from model year 2021, all Volvo cars with a power cord (meaning both plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles) will be branded “Recharge”.
