Charging a fully electric car

Charge the vehicle via a charging station at home or at a public charging station.

Charging your vehicle

Starting charging

Park the vehicle in a suitable location prior to charging.
Connect the charging cable to the charging source. Some stations have a permanently attached charging cable that you connect directly to your vehicle.
Open the charging lid by lightly pressing on its rearmost end.

 Important

Avoid plugging the charging cable in when there is risk of thunderstorms or lightning strikes.
Remove any protective covers from the charging port and cable connector.
Connect the cable to the vehicle.
When the cable is fully inserted it locks into place. Charging starts within a few seconds. When charging has started, the LED lamp in the charging input socket pulsates green.

Stopping charging

  • C40, EC40, EX40, XC40 Recharge Pure Electric: Stop the charging cycle by pressing the button next to the charging input socket, or via the center display.
  • EX30: Stop the charging cycle by unlocking your car, or via the center display.
The charging cable's handle is released.

 Note

When you unlock your EX30, charging stops and the charging cable unlocks for about 90 seconds. If you do not remove the cable within this time, it re-locks and charging resumes.
Unplug the charging cable from the vehicle.

 Important

Always stop the charging cycle before attempting to unplug the charging cable from the vehicle. Otherwise it may cause damage to the cable or to the system.
Reattach any protective covers to the charging port and cable connector.
Depending on the cable you have used:
  • Unplug the charging cable from the charging station.
  • Reattach the charging cable to the station's storage socket.
Close the charging lid.

Fast charging your vehicle

Starting fast charging

To initiate fast charging, make sure the car is in the parking gear, P.
Open the charging lid by lightly pressing on its rearmost end.
Remove any covers from the charging port and cable connector.
Use both hands to press the cable's connector all the way into the charging port.
The charging cable automatically locks in place after a few seconds.
Follow the charging station's instructions for charging authorization.
Charging starts after an insulation test has been completed by the charging station. It can take a minute to complete. When charging has started, the LED lamp in the charging input socket pulsates green. The driver display1 and the center display show the remaining estimated charging time or whether charging is not working as intended.

Interrupted fast charging

If fast charging is interrupted, the charging needs to be reauthorized via the charging station's user interface before it can resume.
Unplug the charging cable from the vehicle.
Plug the charging cable in again.
Follow the instructions in the charging station's user interface.

Stopping fast charging

  • C40, EC40, EX40, XC40 Recharge Pure Electric: Stop the charging cycle by pressing the button next to the charging input socket or via the center display.
  • EX30: Stop the charging cycle via the charging station, or the center display.
The charging cable's handle is released.
Unplug the charging cable from the vehicle.

 Important

Always stop the charging cycle before attempting to unplug the charging cable from the vehicle. Otherwise it may cause damage to the cable or to the system.
Reattach the protective cover on the cable connector.
Reattach the charging port's protective cover and close the charging lid.

Problems with releasing the charging handle

Unless the charging cable is disconnected soon after the charging has stopped, it is automatically locked again. If this happens, try to end the charging a second time. If the charging handle is still not released, try the following:
Ensure that the key is within range and that the vehicle is unlocked.
Switch the power supply to the charging box off in a safe manner. If charging at a charging station, contact the charging station's customer service for assistance.
Move the charging handle gently from side to side.
Lock and unlock the vehicle.
Lock the vehicle and wait until the LED lamp at the vehicle's charging input socket turns off. This can take up to 7 minutes. Then unlock the vehicle.

If the problem persists, contact your Volvo retailer.

Using the charging cable emergency release

If the charging handle doesn't release after charging is complete and the vehicle has an emergency release handle, you can use it to manually release the charging handle.
Open the boot and the cargo hatch.

 Warning

Before using the emergency release handle, check the driver display2 to make sure the charging process is stopped. The release handle cannot be used when charging is in progress.
  • C40, EC40, EX40, XC40 Recharge Pure Electric: The emergency release handle is located to the left, under the floor panel.
  • EX30: The emergency release handle is located under a cap, to the left side of the boot. Remove the cap by prying it off with a screwdriver or a similar tool.
Grasp and pull the emergency release handle.
The charging handle unlocks from the charging port.

 Note

The emergency release handle automatically retracts when the next charging cycle is started.
Wait for about 5 seconds before unplugging the charging cable from the car.
  • C40, EC40, EX40, XC40 Recharge Pure Electric: Put the floor panel back and fold down the load floor. Close the cargo hatch and the boot.
  • EX30: Put the cap back and close the cargo hatch and the boot.

Charging input socket LED signals

SignalsDescription
White, solidWelcome lighting
Yellow, solidWait mode3 – waiting for charging to start.
Yellow, pulsatingWaiting mode4 - waiting for the charging cable to unlock after pressing the button next to the charging port to stop the charging.
Green, pulsatingCharging is in progress.5
Green, solidCharging completed.6
Red, solid

Malfunction. Check the charging cable's connection to the car's charging input socket and power source.

Then restart charging by following these steps:

  1. Unplug the charging cable from the charging socket.
  2. Wait a few seconds.
  3. Plug the charging cable back into the charging socket.
  4. If the problem persists, contact your Volvo retailer.
Red, pulsatingThe vehicle is locked and does not detect any key when the charging cable is unlocked via the button next to the charging socket.
Blue, solidScheduled Charging activated in the center display or in the Volvo Cars app.

Charging port LED signals for EX30

SignalsDescription
White, solidThe cable is not connected, or the cable is connected but the car is not charging.
Green, pulsatingThe car is charging.7
Green, solidThe car is either done charging or has stopped charging.
Red, solidThe cable is plugged in but there is an error in the charging connection. Depending on the error, the display shows different messages. If the problem persists, contact an authorized Volvo workshop.
Blue, solidThe car starts charging according to the set schedule. Information about the scheduled time is visible in the center display.

Applicable models

C40, model year 2022-2024

EC40, model year 2025 and later

EX30, model year 2024 and later

EX40, model year 2025 and later

XC40Recharge Pure Electric, model year 2021-2024

  1. 1 Does not apply to EX30.
  2. 2 Check the center display for EX30.
  3. 3 E.g. after charging has been stopped and the charging cable's handle has been unlocked.
  4. 4 E.g. after charging has been stopped and the charging power needs to be reduced before the charging cable's handle can be unlocked.
  5. 5 The slower the pulsating, the closer to fully charged.
  6. 6 Turns off after a while.
  7. 7 AC manual, AC scheduled, DC.