Volvo's new EX30 EV aims to be small and smart

The Swedish brand's first small electric crossover Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) is going to be one of the most affordable small Electric Vehicle (EV) on sale in Europe, with a promise to undercut prices of the Opel Mokka-e and Peugeot e-2008 by more than 3,000 euros (S$4.3 thousand)

Set for a worldwide launch in early 2024, Volvo is already taking orders for the car in the United States and Europe. The base model will have a driving range of up to 344km, and draw power from a set of 51kWh battery packs.

The long range model will use a 69-kWh battery and boast a driving range of 480 km, and both basic models will use a single 268 horsepower motor driving the rear axle.

The adaptability of the EX30's design means that Volvo is also putting out high performance versions of the car. An all-wheel-drive variant will offer 422 horsepower, drawing from a 69kWh battery and two motors, one over each axle.

Preliminary results show 460 km of range on the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) test cycle, and a 53 kW charging rate means that the battery can be filled to 80 per cent capacity from 10 per cent in under 30 minutes.

It has been quoted as taking just 3.6 seconds to go from 0 to 100 km/h, making it Volvo's fastest-accelerating car to date.

It's a Volvo so as you would expect, it's packed with active safety features including the new door-opening alert as standard equipment, warning the car's occupant via visual and audio cues if they are about to open the door in front of a passing cyclist.

Other standard safety features include the expected driver alert system, with a sensor behind the steering wheel that detects eye and face movements about 13 times per second. If the driver appears distracted or tired, a warning will sound to advise you to stop.

It will be interesting to see how Vovo will keep production costs down while maintaining the brand's premium appeal.

"We have prioritised what is important for the brand," Akhil Krishnan, Volvo's head of small car programs, was quoted as saying. "Instead of taking cost away from the interactive surfaces and materials, we have taken cost away from electronics and technology by making them simpler and more efficient."

For example, the EX30 does not have audio speakers in the door. They have been moved into a sound bar underneath the windshield, and window switches now reside on the centre console. These boost door storage capacity and reduce manufacturing costs.

The traditional instrument cluster has also been jettisoned. Critical driving information will show on a 12.3-inch infotainment display running the Google-services-powered Android Automotive operating system.

Volvo has a target to cut its overall carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions per car by 40 per cent by 2025. This means 31.8 tons of CO2 per car, as compared to the starting point of 53 tons per car in 2018.

The EX30 is going to be built at Volvo's production plant in Zhangjiakou, China and is claimed to be Volvo's greenest car to date. This is achieved largely as the factory is primarily powered by climate-neutral energy, including 100 per cent climate-neutral electricity.

It's still early in the product cycle to confirm if the Volvo EX30 will make it to Singapore, but if it does, which we think could be in mid 2024, its main competition will come from cars like the Opel Mokka-e and MG4 EV.

ALSO READ: 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge review: Is it just an XC40 Recharge in different clothes?

This article was first published in CarBuyer.