Yes.

The ERAD (electric rear axle drive?) motor is only, well, on the rear axle. The automatic transmission does not have a drive shaft going to the rear axle, the battery took up that space. ICE for front wheels, ERAD for rear wheels, dark magic makes them work together for AWD. I believe the Toyota Rav4 Prime is the same?

 

The RAV4 Prime has a smaller electric motor for the front axle, as well (so both ICE and electric on the front axle), but electric only on the rear axle.

 

Thanks, yes that makes sense I guess. But for those of us who live in snow country, driving a rear wheel drive car without dedicated snow tires is a bad idea. And, since I plan on driving the majority of time in Pure, that could be a problem.

Or, maybe I'm missing something. Anybody else see this as a problem in snow country?

 

But for those of us who live in snow country, driving a rear wheel drive car without dedicated snow tires is a bad idea.

That's when the fun starts! I learned to drive in a 1976 Buick Electra. Very large, very rear wheel drive with open differential (1 wheel drive). I had so much fun in the snow with standard tires. What a blast, and a great way to learn how to handle a car.

But seriously, if you're in "snow country", aren't you used to swapping to snow tires in the winter? I had a 1994 E420 with Nokians Hakka RSi, or R3, or similar (can't recall) and it was great.

 

Ok, that's funny - I drove my Dad's "deuce and a quarter" (Electra 225) in 1976 and many, many other RWD cars growing up in Detroit, so I'm quite familiar with the fun and excitement (intentional or not) they provide. But now I'm old and spoiled and I prefer AWD. And I stopped swapping tires a few years back when I determined that ultra high performance all-seasons on AWD vehicles were sufficient for all but the worst conditions.

 

Hmm, this review is not encouraging. Putting aside the snow tires, it recommends driving in Constant AWD in the snow, meaning no Pure in the snow. To be clear, I get that I am likely unique in my feelings on this... but still I'm bummed. Really wanted to be electric only in the snow...

Testing our long-term Volvo XC60's electric all-wheel-drive system

The XC60 T8 Recharge has a distinctive all-wheel-drive setup. How does it perform when the temperatures drop? That's what this update is all about.

www.cnet.com

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I would say if you are sticking to surface streets, driving in Pure in the snow is fine. If you have issues with traction the ICE motor will still kick in and drive the front wheels when needed. Then it will revert back to electric RWD once you’ve gotten going. I throw it into Constant AWD only at higher speeds when the fraction of a second to fire up the ICE could make a difference, plus the ERAD struggles on its own at higher speeds anyway (at least the original 87hp one). Still way more efficient than a conventional AWD ICE vehicle if you are doing shorter trips around town.


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Sven is correct and I have experienced this in the last several days. The car can be in Pure or Hybrid and run on battery only, but the second the car need front traction the ICE comes on. I'm impressed with how quickly and seamlessly that happens, as well as how quickly the ICE shuts down if not needed. If you haven't, I suggest you go out in snowy conditions at a time with little or no traffic and try it out so you know what to expect.

 

If you want to be on battery, what are your feelings/thoughts on BEV? You prefer PEHV?

 

I had a Tesla Model S AWD and loved it. Unfortunately it became impractical for me when I began to have to take very time-sensitive road trips (300-500) miles at a moment's notice. In my experience road trips of that distance take about an hour longer (at best) in a BEV than in an ICE, particularly in cold weather.

 

I would say, the XC60 T8 can be just fine in the snow when driven in AWD mode, especially with snow tires. Most of the time I doubt it would be a problem. You can still have Pure for the good weather!

 

The dual electric (one front, one rear) is what I had on my Tesla (obviously, absent the ICE). The AWD worked seamlessly in that setup.

 

Think of the positives. Pure mode will be great if you have kids driving. They’ll be able to do far more impressive donuts than any of their friends.

 

Last winter I spent a week in the Colorado mountains during a very snowy period, including one day driving in near blizzard conditions (deep snow, coming down hard). I had no trouble most of the time in Hybrid mode, and when things got bad (steep slope, deep snow) I just went to AWD mode and got around quite well. Good winter tires are a must, of course. I had SnowSocks with me but didn't have to use them.
Where I live, snow is seldom seen so most of me local errands are in Pure mode. Overall, I am utterly delighted with my T8.

 

While I appreciate all your responses, this will be my spouse's car and I think it is highly unlikely she will become adept at switching modes. And since I think it is a safety issue to drive in Pure on snow/ice (however small of a safety issue, it is not non-zero) I don't think I'll go with it - stick to the B6. Too bad...

 

Yeah, this is where the RAV4 Prime is superior: it actually does better in AWD in EV (electric-only) mode, via much testing by owners and reviewers, when you have slippage (like snow or mud). Of course, engaging the ICE might be necessary for more power if you're stuck, but it shows the problem with most PHEVs because they have uneven torque front vs. rear. The only PHEVs that I know of that can put more to the front or rear or equally (or equally to the front and rear) are the Porsche E-Hybrids (which put the electric motor between the ICE and the transmission, meaning that the ICE and electric motor works together on all four wheels.

 

2021 T8 Recharge R-Design owner here. We put the TOMKAT in AWD Mode at start up when we back out of the garage during the winter here. Switch to Pure when we get to the ‘main drag’. Will swap the OG UHP All Seasons for 3 Peak Mountain Snowflakes (as on my other cars) when the time comes.

 

If your wife doesn't want to change drive modes, she can always just wait for the computer to detect slight wheelspin, at which point the AWD kicks in!

 

This is my understanding while shopping for T8 this past month or so.

Pure: ERAD only to 60-70ish mph. ICE come on if battery charge is low, slipper conditions, you keep flooring it.​

Off-road: <25mph uses both ERAD and ICE and is meant for loose gravel(like low mode on standard 4wd).
T8 with4C suspension, suspension will raise to highest level.
Constant-AWD: it’s the equivalent of locking differencial where front and back have similar split in torque and power to each wheel.
Hybrid: (auto mode) where car computer looks for the best fuel economy when using one or both ERAD and ICE as well as road conditions dictating torque vectoring.
You could technically run in battery only mode as long as you don’t push accelerator down past ERAD capabilities.​

Power: sets the car up for max torque and power and will drive both ERAD and ICE and reduce nannies.
T8 with 4C suspension, suspension will lower to improve aero and center of gravity. May form up.​

 

Unless things have changed since my 2016 t8, the ice will come on (at least initially or within a few miles) when the temperature is low (any temp below 50 seems to be fair game if the battery is cold), and if the car is cold and climate control is asking for heat. I prefer to drive it like a slow bev, but it thwarts my efforts on a regular basis. We had a Chevy bolt and currently also have an xc40 P8. When things get really slippery I will select AWD. The electric only range when cold is quite small on the T8. And if you go long enough without running the ice, it will run exclusively to burn through your tank of gas (not even turning off when stopped). My best tanks of fuel have been 150 to 200 mpg, but it still wants to run the ice sometimes.

 

We have no problems running our RAV4 Prime in electric-only mode (called EV mode) when it's cold, down to about 15 deg F (even when starting out cold), but it cannot generate cabin heat without the ICE coming on (we get around it by turning on the heated seats if we want to stay in EV mode); below about 15 deg F, the ICE will come on, and I suspect that it has to do with heating the battery pack -- just as is the case with my Panamera 4 E-Hybrid (though with the E-Hybrid, the ICE comes on automatically when the freezing point is hit, so 32 deg F). In the Prime, once the ICE has warmed up (and presumably the battery pack also), one can then revert to electric-only driving, even when it's below 15 deg F. In the E-Hybrid, heating the battery pack is built into the engineering of the PHEV system, and once the traction battery is heated up, it's possible to drive in very cold temps in electric-only mode. This may be true with the Prime and with Volvo T8 PHEVs, as well -- that the ICE comes on to heat up the battery pack. [Also, both the Prime and the E-Hybrid default to all-electric mode when you turn the car on; Volvo is apparently different this way, in starting in Hybrid mode.]

 

For the OP, snow country = Detroit. OP doesn't swap to winter tires anymore.

 

In 2022 XC60 Recharge, is AWD active when in Pure (electric only) mode?

I ask because I saw this comment in a review of the BMW X5 45e -- "Volvo cannot run all wheel drive on electric only mode due to the gas and electric motors being connected separately to either the front or back wheels." And MT says "Volvo's T8 hybrid system, the gas engine drives the front wheels while the electric motor drives the rears) "

Nox Vidmate VLC​

So, does this mean that, while in Pure (electric only), the XC60 is effectively a rear wheel drive only vehicle?

The automatic transmission does not have a drive shaft going to the rear axle, the battery took up that space.

 

I view this as a positive. Far less mechanically complex and the cabin is a lot quieter without driveshafts going underneath. We’ve driven quite a bit in northern MN winters and the limiting factor is the terrible stock tires, not lack of AWD in Pure. The batteries are heavy enough and far enough back to give plenty of traction for the rear wheels.

 

Reviving an old post to provide additional context for prospective buyers. I recently took delivery of a '23 T8 and have been super impressed with its performance in the snow. The vehicle starts in pure EV mode and I can easily drive around on layers of snow while propelled only by the rear wheels. The traction control is very forward, there is no slip, spin, response. It meters the power deliver very well, only putting down the power that the road surface can accept. I started out using a ginger foot to try to keep the first wheel spin from engaging the ICE, but I was serving as a poor substitute by the extremely capable traction control.

When I goosed it on a downhill 90 turn, I finally got the rear end to slide out, but it immediately responded, bringing power levels down and regaining grip before seamlessly accelerating. All on EV rear wheel drive. The ICE didn't kick in because it wasn't needed. At higher speeds 0j the highway, the car will sense slip before you do and immediately turn on the ICE to provide AWD.

Range suffers in the winter, and the electric cabin heater is a power hog, but I can still get an easy 25 miles of Pure range in the winter, even with a toasty cabin in 20f weather.

The drive modes being buried in the screen, with '23 models loosing the physical drive selector is a miss in my book. I wish I didn't have to tap three times to change modes .... But the car is remarkable apt and driving in whatever mode you have it in. And this is in the stock Continental tires!

People often thing of AWD as a panacea in the winter. It isn't. Good tires are more important. And good driving is too. U less you are legit stuck on ice/in snow, I truly think that the TCS is more of a benefit to most drivers than the AWD. And this is spoken as a guy who learned to drive a stick shift RWD pickup at 15 YO in the snow as his first car....

If I was Volvo Boss for a day, I would add a physical control for drive modes and climate control. I would add a faster 7.5kw AC charger, and I would allow the front starter generator to decouple from the ICE and run as an EV motor for the front wheels. But I am also still very happy with my T8 purchase.

 

In 2022 XC60 Recharge, is AWD active when in Pure (electric only) mode?

I ask because I saw this comment in a review of the BMW X5 45e -- "Volvo cannot run all wheel drive on electric only mode due to the gas and electric motors being connected separately to either the front or back wheels." And MT says "Volvo's T8 hybrid system, the gas engine drives the front wheels while the electric motor drives the rears) "

So, does this mean that, while in Pure (electric only), the XC60 is effectively a rear wheel drive only vehicle?






Nox Vidmate VLC

The automatic transmission does not have a drive shaft going to the rear axle, the battery took up that space. ICE for front wheels, ERAD for rear wheels, dark magic makes them work together for AWD.

 

@DeanMassy is correct but I would add (from experience) that if the car should sense loss of traction at the rear wheels, the ICE fires up instantly and the car becomes all-wheel drive, even if you have the drive mode set to Pure. It's part of the dark magic, I guess.

 

Look at the bright side - No Transfer Case issues to deal with

 

Didn't read the whole thread... but I can make a comment relevant to the few initial posts. After owning two XC90 T8s and one Rav4 Prime in Buffalo NY, I can say that the Rav is hands down a better vehicle in snow.
Frankly, and somehow paradoxically for a car brand that hails from Sweden, SPA Volvos are not great cars for cold weather. The hybrid stuff is just not ready for cold. And there are tons of other things that tend to go south - from door handles to fuel doors and air compressors... it's like they never tried these cars in cold weather. Go figure.

As far as drivetrain goes, I had a 2016 XC90 D5 in Switzerland and that used to be a lot better than the T8s.

Do not get me wrong. A T8 or Recharge or whatever they are called now - they are not bad vehicles in snow. They are actually probably more capable than they feel. But... there are better options, frankly, in snow country.