Volvo's new EV helping lead the company to an all-electric future

We'll be seeing more and more special types of Volvos on the road in the years to come: ones that run purely on electricity.

"Volvo made a commitment to be carbon-neutral by 2040. And part of achieving that goal is being 100% electric car company by 2030," said Russell Datz, spokesperson for Volvo Car USA.

First up was the XC40 Recharge, a battery-only version of the conventional XC40. It was a springboard to Volvo getting into the EV business.

Now, it's been joined by the C40 Recharge, designed to be electric from the get-go, and carrying a base price of $58,750 before incentives.

"The C40 is the very first pure electric vehicle from Volvo, and it marks a real turning point in where the company's headed," Datz said.

If you like Volvos, you'll probably like this electric Volvo too. It has all the look and feel of the Swedish brand's modern products, but it just glides along electrically with an estimated range of 226 miles.

And it's a compact SUV, obviously, which is not only a hot segment in general right now, but one that seems to be where EVs are really starting to go mainstream from a number of car brands.

Now, if you're not ready to make the switch into a pure electric just yet, A: you're not alone. And B: there are ways to help ease you into a transition to EV driving.

Volvo is assigning the Recharge name to its plug-in hybrid models now, and there's an updated XC60 Recharge. The battery-only range is up to 35 miles, but then you've got a turbocharged gasoline engine to take you anywhere you'd care to go. The XC60 Recharge had a base price of $54,250.

"Plug-in hybrids of any kind are a great stepping stone for people who are interested in getting into a pure electric car, but maybe not ready for all that just yet," said Datz.

There's no official word on how long you'll still be able to buy a Volvo with a combustion engine and a fuel tank, but those will be phased out eventually.

"We are committed to electric cars. By 2030, every car that we make will be pure electric, and we intend to fulfill that goal," added Datz.