Electric Volvo XC40 Recharge will NOT suffer production delays from battery shortages Volvo declares

The electric Volvo XC40 Recharge, due to go in to production in a few months, will not suffer production delays due to battery supply issues, say Volvo.

Battery supply issues are a big problem for car makers trying to satisfy demand for EVs, and we’ve seen Hyundai Kia unable to get anywhere close to fulfilling demand for the e-Niro and Hyundai Kona Electric, Jaguar pausing production of the I-Pace and Audi lowering production targets for the e-tron.

So it wouldn’t be surprising to learn that other car makers are having similar issues, and that Volvo’s plans to start building electric Volvos – with the first electric Volvo, the XC40 Recharge, due to go in to production in September – will suffer similar disruption. But not according to Volvo.

As part of preparations for BEVS, Volvo has just inaugurated a new battery assembly line at its Plant in Ghent, Belgium, as well as planning to do the same at its Plant in Charleston, USA, later this year and at their Plant in Luqiao, China, which also builds Polestar and Lynk & Co cars built on the same CMA platform as the XC40.

All well and good, you might think, but the batteries for the assembly plants are still going to come from CATL of China and LG Chem of South Korea, the same suppliers to car makers struggling with supply.

But, according to Automotive News, Ghent Plant boss Stefan Fesser has promised a ‘Flawless Launch’ of the XC40 Recharge, and Volvo’s new model launch manager, Peter Durie, told them LG Chem will have no issues supplying what Volvo needs to cope with demand, demand which is already exceeding all expectations and runs in to thousands of orders.

Let’s hope Volvo is right.