Volvo is giving its plug-in hybrids a powertrain overhaul for the 2022 model year, yielding more electric range.

Plug-in hybrid versions of the Volvo XC60 and XC90 SUVs, S60 and S90 sedans, and V60 station wagon (most wearing Recharge badging) get a larger battery pack, more powerful rear-axle electric motor, and changes to their internal-combustion engine, the automaker confirmed Monday in a press release. Volvo is also rolling out a one-pedal driving feature on some models.

That results in 41 miles of electric range for the S60 Recharge sedan and V60 Polestar Engineered wagon, and 35 miles for the other models. While these are still just estimates, they represent a significant improvement over the 2021 models. The 2021 S60 Recharge, for example, was rated at just 22 miles of electric range.

2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge

2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge

Volvo also published efficiency estimates of 74 MPGe and 31 mpg for the S60 Recharge and V60 Polestar Engineered. That drops to 63 MPGe and 28 mpg for the XC60 T8 Recharge and XC60 Polestar Engineered. Estimates for the S90 Recharge are 66 MPGe and 29 mpg, while the XC90 Recharge is 3 mpg lower than the S90.

Volvo's all-wheel drive "T8" plug-in hybrid powertrain still uses a gasoline engine to drive the front wheels and an electric motor to drive the rear wheels, with a battery pack located amidships in a central tunnel. But Volvo added a third layer of battery cells, growing capacity from the previous 11.6 kwh to 18.8 kwh. And the 2.0-liter gasoline inline-4 engine is now only turbocharged, rather than turbocharged and supercharged, as before.

Furthermore, a more powerful rear electric motor delivers 143 horsepower—up from 87 hp before. That contributes to a totals system output of 455 hp and 523 pound-feet of torque for all plug-in hybrid models. Volvo says they're the most powerful road cars it has ever built.

2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge

2022 Volvo XC60 Recharge

Debuting on the XC60 and S90 plug-in hybrids, a one-pedal drive mode is activated by shifting from "D" to "B." In a first drive of a European-spec 2022 XC60 Recharge, we found this feature helped contribute to a more electric driving experience.

Volvo sees its plug-in hybrids as a gateway to electric vehicles, and it lowered the price on them in 2020. The automaker has also tried an innovative program in which it reimburses users to plug in.

Last year, plug-in hybrids topped 20% of Volvo's sales, as the brand had targeted. Volvo is now launching all-electric models as well, and it's filling in the rest of the lineup with mild hybrids.