Volvo EX30 launch sees Volvo tuning into new EV clientele
As Volvo CEO Jim Rowan confirmed to journalists last December, the Volvo EX30 is on schedule with today’s launch made public on YouTube. In a pre-recorded yet rather funky clip, Rowan repeated variations of how small can make a big difference or how minor changes may have a huge impact.
Still, one of the biggest questions (not answered in the video but in a later press release) was just how small the new Volvo EV would be – both in size and low price, and of course, which specifications the Geely brand would opt for.
Naturally, Volvo is not openly venturing too far into small car territory and instead dubs the EX30 an E-SUV, however compact. Style references were previously made to the Mercedes EQA and DS 3 Crossback E-Tense; besides, the EX30 succeeds the XC40 Recharge as Volvo’s entry model. While the C40 measures 4.44 metres, and the Smart #1, with which the EX30 shares a platform, comes down to 4.27 metres, the Volvo EX30 is even smaller: 4,23 metres in length but 1549 mm high for this SUV feel and 1.83 metres wide (2032 mm with mirrors).
Volvo has opted to base the EX30 on Geely’s SEA platform, as expected. The architecture also underpins the Smart #1 and Zeekr 001. Specifically, Volvo utilises the SEA-E (E for Entry) version. SEA vehicles usually have an output of 200 kW; in the Smart, the 66 kWh battery provides a WLTP range of up to 440 kilometres and can be charged from ten to 80 per cent in just under 30 minutes at a 150 kW fast charger. In an all-wheel-drive version (like the Brabus Smart #1), the electric motor on the rear axle is joined by another unit at the front, raising the system output to over 400 hp.
While the EX30 largely stays within spec, Volvo envisioned three versions of the EX30 by combining two different motor setups and two batteries. Rowan, in the video, reasoned, “One size doesn’t fit all,” while also mentioning two battery chemistries, depending on the use cases.
The first such use case is described as city driving with shorter distances between charges, for which Volvo recommends the single-motor option combined with an LFP battery – a first in a Volvo. The 51 kWh power pack comes from the Chinese supplier CATL and holds 49 kWh (net) for 344 km of range. The single motor provides the typical 200 kW (272 hp) and a maximum torque of 343 Nm.
Secondly, in the Extended Range variant of the single motor set-up, an NMC battery with 69 kWh provides a range of up to 480 km between charges.
The same battery also powers the top of the range, the Twin Motor Performance variant, in which Volvo pairs the NMC battery with a second e-motor. The range of the 64 kWh (net) battery is also 480 km in this case, but the EV’s performance differs. Volvo claims the all-wheel drive is “officially our fastest-accelerating car ever!” with a system output of 315kW (428hp) and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.
In any layout, the Volvo EX30 has a top speed of 180 km/h. As for DC charging, the smaller battery can take 135 kW max while the NMC pack musters 155 kW.
Volvo EX30 as a volume car
As Rowan indicated last December, the Volvo EX30 has a major role in the company’s growth strategy. By 2025, Volvo targets to sell 1.2 million vehicles globally, up from 700,000 in 2021, an increase of 70 per cent in four years. Such volumes, while likely set by the parent company Geely, can, of course, be achieved primarily with cheaper models and those made in China.
Since Volvo’s own plants in Europe are already well utilised and the ‘Sustainable Experience Architecture’ is a Chinese development, the EX30 will roll off the lines in Chengdu, Daqing and Taizhou. Capacities have not been disclosed today but expect them to be substantial. After all, Volvo wants the EX30 to become the brand’s best-selling model within a few years.
Which brings us to the price. With reservations opening in “select markets” today, Volvo had to go public, and the base model will start from €36,590 – which is remarkable for a Volvo car and certainly set to make waves in the current line up. The Performance AWD starts at €48,490; the single engine with the larger battery starts from €41,790, which is more in line with Volvo and the market.
Update 04 October 2023
Volvo Car USA has revealed the prices for its first small electric SUV, the Volvo EX30. Unveiled this past June, the EX30 expands the Volvo Cars lineup of fully electric vehicles to a total of four models. In the US, prices for the EX30 will start at $34,950 and top out at $46,600. Pre-order deposit holders can begin configuring their EX30 in autumn, with deliveries expected to commence in the first half of next year.
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