Volvo enhances On Call app to gives PHEV drivers insight into electric driving patterns

Drivers of Volvo plug-in-hybrid (PHEV) cars can now gain new insights into their electric driving patterns, as the Swedish car maker introduces a range of new features on its Volvo On Call smartphone app.

Dubbed the "step-tracker for cars", the new features aim to encourage drivers of Volvo plug-in hybrids to charge and drive fully electric as much as possible

Via the new Volvo On Call app drivers can see how much distance they have driven in fully electric mode, along with their electricity and fuel consumption, among other metrics.

Later this year the service will also give drivers the possibility to see the impact of their driving on their CO2 footprint, as well as the estimated fuel costs saved by driving in fully electric mode.

“We want the Volvo On Call app to make life easier for you as a user and create a more personal experience,” said Ödgärd Andersson, chief digital officer at Volvo Cars. “As the car becomes ever more connected, the potential of the app increases and we intend over time for it to be as much a part of the Volvo as the car itself.”

For applicable Volvo Recharge models, bought during the offer period, the platform will also inform drivers on the status of the electricity refund launched last year.

The new Volvo On Call functionalities are available for Volvo XC40, XC60, XC90, S/V60 and S/V90 plug-in-hybrid models built and sold after 2015.

Björn Annwall, head of EMEA at Volvo Cars, added: “We see plug-in hybrids as ‘part-time electric cars’ that encourage changes in people’s behaviour and help pave the way for a transition towards fully electric cars.”

Volvo Cars has committed to all-out electrification and a long-term future beyond the traditional internal combustion engine. Electrified models already account for almost 25% of the company’s total sales in Europe.

Over the next five years, the brand will launch a range of fully electric cars, in line with its ambition to make all-electric cars 50% of global sales by 2025, with the rest hybrids.