Volvo’s new EX30 is its smallest SUV with lowest C02 footprint

Volvo has revealed its EX30, which is a “cornerstone” of the company’s strategic transformation as an electric-only carmaker. The EX30 is the brand’s entry into a new and fast-growing segment of small, fully electric premium SUVs and aims to attract new and younger customers.

The carmaker expects the EX30, priced at around 36,000 euros (Rs 31.63 lakh) to be one of its best-selling models in the coming years. By mid-decade, Volvo is aiming for half of its global sales volumes to consist of fully electric cars and to reach an operating profit margin of 8-10 percent. By 2030, it plans to sell only fully electric models and the EX30 is among the models expected to contribute to future growth.

Volvo says the EX30 has been developed with a focus on lowering the total cost of ownership and attracting new, younger, urban buyers. Chief executive Jim Rowan claims the intention is to “bring premium, fully electric mobility to a much broader audience”.

Volvo expects around three-quarters of EX30 buyers will be new to the brand, with the majority buying it as a second car.

The firm also claims the machine has the smallest lifetime carbon footprint of any Volvo model to date and doesn’t compromise on the marque's famed commitment to safety. But the EX30 also offers performance: with a 0-100kmph time of 3.6sec in top-spec Twin Motor Performance form, it is the fastest-accelerating Volvo yet.

Interior design

The interior also builds on Volvo’s traditional design form, with the dashboard dominated by a 12.3-inch vertically mounted touchscreen. The infotainment runs Volvo’s Google-based system, which is compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Instead of the traditional door-mounted speakers, a home audio-style soundbar runs across the full width of the dashboard. 

There is also an emphasis on interior storage, including a centrally located dashboard glovebox-style multi-function centre console in the front and a removable storage box at the back of the tunnel console.

Four interior designs – termed ‘rooms’ by Volvo – will be offered, all using different recyclable and renewable materials, including one that has upcycled denim fibre in the dashboard.

In the UK, the EX30 will be offered with three powertrains and two different battery types. Entry-level Single Motor versions feature a rear-mounted 268bhp motor with a 51kWh lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery. That chemistry, which is more cost-effective to produce, gives it a claimed range of 214 miles / 345 kilometres.

The Single Motor powertrain will also be offered in Extended Range form. It uses with a 69kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery, which extends the range to 298 miles / 477km, with a claimed efficiency of 4.0mpkWh.

That battery is also used in the top-spec Twin Motor Performance model, which adds a second, 154bhp electric motor on the front axle to give a combined output of 422bhp. The entry-level LFP battery can be charged at a peak of 134kW, while the NMC models can accept charge at up to 153kW. 

The reduced CO2 footprint – which Volvo claims is below 30 tonnes over 124,000 miles / 198,400km of driving – covers both production and operation. It has been achieved in part through a body that contains 25% recycled aluminium, 17% recycled steel and 17% recycled plastic.

High on safety, focus on urban

Like all Volvo cars, the EX30 is high on safety and as per the company, “aims to look after both you and others in hectic urban environments.” For example, it includes a special safety feature for bikes that helps to prevent so-called ‘dooring’ accidents, by issuing an alert when the door is about to be opened in front of a cyclist, scooter or runner.

The EX30 is designed to help protect its driver and passengers in the event of a crash. It does so through state-of-the-art restraint technology, as well as top-notch structural design through strengthening of the safety cage, the A, B and C pillars, as well as the roof. Being an EV, there’s plenty of focus on battery integrity. The chassis and safety cage are built with various forms of high-strength steel that offset the impact from a possible crash in an efficient way.

The EX30 also includes a far-side airbag on the inside of the driver’s seat designed to help reduce head and thorax injuries in the event of a side impact. The Volvo EX30 also offers an advanced suite of new active safety features that help protect people inside and outside the car.

“We know that price and cost of ownership is still one of the biggest challenges when people consider switching to an electric car,” said Jim Rowan, our chief executive. “With the Volvo EX30, we aim to bring premium, fully electric mobility to a much broader audience, helping to advance and speed up the transition to full electrification that our industry and society needs.”

The EX30 will go into production later this year at Volvo’s Zhangjiakou plant in China and is now available to order in the UK, mainland Europe and selected other markets.

(With inputs from Autocar UK)