A few years ago, the then CEO for Swedish auto-brand Volvo gave an internal speech which went viral, where they acknowledged that ‘the auto industry was part of the problem’. They were clearly speaking about sustainability, and how for auto-brands to thrive in the future, an environment-first mindset was the way forward. For a car brand leader to say something like that, is pretty unprecedented, and honestly, quite refreshing to say the least.
The best part - it was not all talk. Volvo followed through soon after and revealed two huge goals for the brand for the future - the brand wants to go ‘all electric’ by 2030, and aims to be fully carbon neutral by 2040. This is huge coming from a leading auto brand.
So keeping these goals in mind, Volvo released a whole new line of electric vehicles, and now the first in that line-up, the XC40 Recharge is geared up for launch in India. But that’s not really why we’re interested in this - it’s more about how they’re handling the launch.
You see, when car brands usually host a launch event, it involves many moving parts - venues, transport, logistics - all of which produce massive amounts of CO2. Estimates say in a usual single day event of this scale an average attendee produces about 170 kgs of CO2. To counter this, Volvo came up with the unique idea to host this entire event to launch their first electric vehicle, the XC40 Recharge, in their own sustainable virtual world.
Folks, welcome to Volvoverse.
How does Volvoverse work?
Running on self-sustaining energy, Volvoverse is a futuristic masterpiece built at the edge of a mountain range ,surrounded by a vast expanse of water. Powered by the Luminous Core, a beam of natural light that provides a massive output advantage by harnessing solar power that generates enough electricity to ensure that the Volvoverse runs smoothly. The core absorbs energy from the sun, channels it into solar power and delivers it to the Energy Umbrellas placed inside the Volvoverse. Energy umbrellas are constructed with crystalline silicon wafers as the main component materials which enables them to employ and store power for future use. All these energy-efficient systems, together fuel the engine of the Volvoverse.
Here, see it to believe it!
About the XC40 Recharge
Ever since Volvo set its sustainability goals in place, plans were set in motion to achieve them on time. The XC40 Recharge, a ‘pure electric’ SUV is a direct result of that. The idea was not only to build the perfect and safest car for you and your family, but one that is best-suited for our collective home - this planet of ours. The mantra behind its conception was ‘responsible pleasure’, implying just because it’s a luxury car that fulfills all your auto needs, doesn’t mean the environment has to pay a huge price for it.
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