Volvo has announced that drivers and buyers of any new Volvo plug-in hybrid model (PHEV) will benefit from a year’s free electricity to charge their car.

The offer is open to both private and business customers. Volvo says this is because it’s “intention is to encourage drivers to get into the habit of keeping their car’s hybrid battery charged, it’s the company car driver who will receive the refund at the end of the year rather than their employer.”

To qualify, customers must purchase a new Volvo plug-in hybrid between now and 30 June 2020. The electricity costs for charging the car will be calculated from May 2020 and repaid at the end of the 12-month period, “based on a third-party-provided average cost of electricity in the UK”.

The amount of energy each customer uses will be monitored via the Volvo On Call app. This logs how much power the car consumes, and also allows the driver to monitor the charge status of their car’s battery on their phone.

Carbon-neutral ambition

Kristian Elvefors, Volvo Car UK Managing Director, said: “At Volvo, in keeping with our Swedish roots, we’ve always taken a keen interest in looking after the environment. Our recently stated ambition to become a carbon-neutral company by 2040 shows we are serious about addressing climate change.

“It’s crucial that we help our plug-in hybrid customers understand how they can make the most of their car’s electric potential. So, by meeting their electricity charging costs for a year, we can encourage them to develop the good habit of regularly recharging their car’s battery, as well as saving them money at the same time.”

Climate-neutral business

The free electricity initiative is one element in Volvo’s plans to “achieve a substantial reduction in the lifecycle carbon footprint of all its new cars”. The manufacturer recently announced its intention to achieve a cut of 40% between 2018 and 2025, a key step towards its goal of becoming a climate-neutral business by 2040.

Volvo says that by adopting cleaner, electrified powertrains, it will bring down overall tailpipe emissions by 50% by 2025, while also working to significantly reduce the environmental impact of its manufacturing, supply chain, logistics and other operations, targeting a 25% reduction by 2025.

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