Volvo has been on the cutting edge of electrification and advanced engine technology for years. The Swedish brand, best known for its amazing array of safety equipment, brought us something unique in the XC90. The T8 version of the Volvo XC90 luxury SUV originally used both supercharging and turbocharging to ensure a small engine was enough for this three-row crossover, but it could be obsolete very soon.

The transformation to PHEV for the T8 brought the Recharge name

The 2022 version of the Volvo XC90 with the most power is the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model. This version wears the T8 badge, signifying it to be the most powerful, but this new T8 is different from the original.

Car and Driver tells us that with the Recharge name in the mix, the T8 engine went from using both turbocharging and supercharging to using only turbos attached to the 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. The addition of an electric motor to power the rear wheels more than made up for the lack of supercharging in this luxury SUV.

How much power does the 2022 Volvo XC90 Recharge T8 offer?

The combined output for this new powertrain arrangement increased by 55 horsepower to 455 and 51 lb-ft of torque to reach 523. Credit the new electric motor for this power increase. This motor makes 143 horsepower.

Even though the new XC90 Recharge offers a sprint to 60 mph of 4.5 seconds, 0.4 seconds faster than the outgoing version, this powertrain likely has a short lifespan ahead of it.

Why would the PHEV layout of this Volvo luxury SUV become obsolete?

Electric vehicles are becoming more plentiful and popular, especially with longer driving ranges and shorter charging times. Add the fact that more public charging stations are available than ever before, and you’ve got a recipe for success. This success in the EV world will likely push hybrid and PHEV vehicles out the door. Volvo already had two EVs in the market, the C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge. How long do you think it will be before the XC90 is a fully- electric SUV?

The Volvo XC90 Recharge allows for electric driving but slow recharging

The newness of the PHEV T8 powertrain gives the new XC90 luxury SUV an advantage over other plug-in hybrids. This SUV has a larger battery pack which means it can drive up to 36 miles on electricity. Unfortunately, if you deplete the batteries, the PHEV setup can’t use a DC fast-charger and requires a slower connection. This is fine for charging at home but not at public stations.

An all-electric XC90 luxury SUV could be on the horizon

Without giving us any specific timeframe, MotorTrend hints that the Volvo XC90 might be the next SUV in the lineup to go to a fully electrified platform. The current generation has been around since 2015, despite the new powertrain layout for 2022. If we had to venture a guess, this new electric SUV could arrive as soon as 2024.

When will Volvo go all-electric?

Similar to many other luxury brands, Volvo intends to offer only EVs by 2030. Both the hint at the next generation of the XC90 and the movement toward EVs mean the current T8 layout will likely be obsolete very soon.

Check out the next article which tells you about the two Volvo EVs.