After being , Volvo’s very first battery electric vehicle was officially shown to the world today, along with its name, the Recharge. It’s kind of an odd choice for a name, seeing as how recharging is likely the most problematic aspect of modern electric cars, but, well, I guess their focus groups thought it was cool.

It looks good, though, and has decent specs: 402 horsepower and a range of 200 miles. Oh, and Volvo is footing the bill for your first year of electricity.

Specifically, about free power:

“Recharge plug-in hybrid model will come with free electricity for a year, provided through a refund for the average electricity cost during that period.”

I guess they’re estimating the number of times you’re likely to charge it? Details are scant now, but we’ll look into it more.

The Recharge has all-wheel-drive standard, and here’s what Volvo says about power and range:

“The XC40 Recharge is everything customers expect from a Volvo, with the addition of a state-of-the-art, fully electric all-wheel drive powertrain that offers a range of over 400 km (WLTP) [200 miles in U.S.**] on a single charge and output of 408hp [402 hp in U.S.]. The battery charges to 80 % of its capacity in 40 mins on a fast-charger system.***”

All those suspicious asterisks lead you to this:

“**THIS IS NOT BASED ON EPA TESTING. 200-mile combined driving range rating. Based on EU WLTP testing under controlled conditions for a new vehicle. Your range will vary depending on driving conditions, how you drive and maintain your vehicle, battery-package/condition, and other factors.

***Fast charging DC up to 150 kW. Charging times will vary and are dependent on factors such as outdoor temperature, current battery temperature, charging equipment, battery condition and car condition.”

So far, it looks pretty good: , decent if not exemplary range, good power, and Volvo seems very committed to EVs. Plus, free electrons.

More on this as we get it.

I should be clear that it’s only the model that gets free electricity. I thought it was all Recharges, but, as you can see in the quote, only that one gets the free power. Sorry.