Volvo On Call app gets improvements targeted at plug-in hybrid owners
There’s always room to get a little more efficiency.
Volvo
Trying to maximize the effectiveness of your plug-in hybrid is a delicate dance that finds out exactly where to work with electricity so that the gas engine doesn’t unnecessarily emit all kinds of garbage. Sure, trial and error will help you figure this out, but if you have one of Volvo’s new plug-in hybrids, there is an app to help you out.
Volvo announced this week that it has improved its Volvo On Call app, in existence since 2011, that connects drivers to their car through their iPhone, Android or Windows phone so they can locate their car, lock or unlock the doors, or condition the interior can before a trip. It can track maintenance needs and also provides quick access to the instruction manual. Now it has been further improved with updates for plug-in hybrids.
Volvo PHEV owners can use the app to see how far they have gone with electricity and how much electricity and fuel they have used on their trips. In a future update, this service will be further improved by showing the impact of PHEV on a driver’s carbon footprint along with an estimate of the fuel cost savings from driving with electricity.
Look at that:
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The Volvo On Call updates work with any Volvo PHEV model on the CMA or SPA platform sold after 2015. Therefore, it works both with slightly older models and with the newer Volvos, which bear the name Recharge, which is the official badge for the new electrified Volvo models. It will work in 47 different countries; Chinese owners will see similar features through WeChat.
This is a good time to take advantage of these features. Volvo is committed to bringing at least one electrified variant of every vehicle it produces, and the automaker intends to do so debut a new EV every year until 2025. In addition to the PHEV variants of everything Volvo currently sells, the automaker will soon have an all-electric XC40, followed by an electric XC90 in 2022.
