Volvo announces a big battery factory for Europe. We bring you a drive of the XC90 Recharge plug-in hybrid and think about its connection to a future all-electric XC90. And Porsche is in the battery business. This and more, here at Green Car Reports. 

With Volvo’s plan to embrace EVs in place, the 2021 Volvo XC90 Recharge serves as a connection to the future. In a drive, we pondered how well it serves that role with a test of its all-electric (well mostly all-electric) experience. 

Volvo also made a big battery announcement yesterday. It plans, with Sweden’s Northvolt, to build a 50-gigawatt battery factory that can supply cells for about 500,000 EVs per year. The carmaker says that it plans to make 50% of its vehicle sales all-electric by the middle of the decade, with only electric cars beginning in 2030. 

Porsche announced plans to make its own electric car battery cells—through a partnership with the battery firm Customcells. Porsche’s work would be focused around cells with a higher heat tolerance, for racing use initially. 

Over at The Car Connection, you’ll find a review of a different Volvo plug-in hybrid, the XC60 Recharge. Sized and priced closer to the middle of the luxury market, the XC60 Recharge represents an evolutionary bridge being crossed by the Swedish brand. 

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