Volvo EX30 to offer two batteries, up to 298 miles of range
Disguised EX30 prototype has been seen testing on public roads
Jeep Avenger rival is the most sustainable Volvo to date and champions car subscriptions for young buyers
The Volvo EX30 will be available with two battery sizes plus single- and dual-motor powertrains when it's launched in November.
Speaking to journalists about the EX30’s environmental credentials (it has the lowest carbon footprint of any Volvo produced to date), sustainability centre manager Anders Nyth said: “From launch, we will offer it with two battery variants. A smaller variant, 51kWh, which is an LFP [lithium-iron-phosphate] battery, and then we have the NMC or NCM [nickel-cobalt-manganese] variant, which is a 69kWh battery.
“Of course, the driveline impacts the efficiency of the car, so there's a rear-wheel version and an all-wheel-drive version.
“The rear-wheel-drive, NCM-battery [car] is kind of the long-range version.”
A spokesperson for Volvo UK added that it will confirm regional specifications when the EX30 is revealed in full on 7 June.
The Swedish firm has claimed a maximum range of 298 miles (480km) for the EX30, with that figure likely representing the aforementioned efficiency-focused ‘long-range’ version.
Volvo has also said that the EX30 will be its most environmentally friendly model to date, with a carbon footprint 25% lower than that of the existing C40 Recharge and XC40 Recharge.
This reduction is thanks in part to technical developments including the use of recycled materials, which comprise 17% of the car’s steel and plastics, and 25% of its aluminium.
It has also been designed to be recyclable “designed to be recycled to a high degree” at the end of its life, said Nyth.
Anders Kärrberg, Volvo’s global head of sustainability, added that the firm is also wasting less materials. “The material utilisation degree for body parts stamp parts is up to 57% between 55 and 57%,” Kärrberg said. “That means less scrap when you stamp the bodies and obviously more circular [in the car’s production cycle].”
The firm will also use blockchain technology to verify the provenance of the lithium, cobalt, nickel and manganese and graphite used for production.
Nyth explained: “It locks these transactions [records]. You can't alter one transaction from one place to another without the whole chain knowing it. Therefore you create a closed loop of information which will not be altered.”
The EX30 will sit below the existing XC40 in the firm’s growing line-up of electric SUVs, which is now headed by the EX90.
The Jeep Avenger rival will also champion the subscription ownership model to make it more affordable to Generation Z (people born between the late 1990s and early 2000s), according to Volvo CEO Jim Rowan.
He added that subscriptions allow the brand to “talk to new customers”, having previously said that Volvo “has never really spoken to that young demographic”.
Autocar previously reported that the company will ensure monthly payments are set at a “reasonably low cost”.
The new model will use a modified version of parent Geely’s SEA architecture. At the launch, Rowan hinted that the compact model will be aimed at “city driving for first-time buyers”.
With the EX30 sitting firmly in one of the fastest-growing segments, it will be key to Volvo achieving its target of selling 1.2 million cars annually by the middle of the decade, with half of those fully electric models.
The model will retain traditional Volvo cues, but also feature bolder styling elements to help win over a younger audience. Much like the EX90, it will take the form of a higher-riding crossover but with sleeker bodywork to maximise the aerodynamic efficiency. It is also possible the model could eventually spawn a coupé-SUV offshoot similar to the C40 Recharge.
Speaking at February’s EX90 launch, Volvo design chief Robin Page said the firm will “start evolving” its design language with the EX30 and future models.
He said: “You’ll still recognise it as a Volvo and there are elements of the EX90 we’ll bring into future products. But with a smaller car, you can play around more with different things. You’ve got a bit more of a spectrum to play with colour, materials and the general expression.”
The SEA architecture is currently used by the Smart #1 and a number of electric models from Geely’s China-only Zeekr brand. It is offered in various forms for vehicles of different lengths and can accept rear-drive single-motor and all-wheel-drive twin-motor powertrains. At launch, the Smart #1 offers 268bhp in standard form and 422bhp for a twin-motor range-topper.
The SEA platform has a high level of connectivity built into it and offers over-the-air software updates. It is likely that Volvo will offer features on demand and other services through its app.
*Additional reporting by Will Rimell and Charlie Martin*
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