Volvo’s next electric car will be a small SUV that shares its parts with the new Smart #1
- Range of around 280 miles expected
- EX30 to sit below XC40 Recharge in lineup
- Due to arrive in 2024 following full reveal on 7th June 2023
The entry-level electric Volvo EX30 will be revealed on the 7th June, with the name and launch date now confirmed by the Swedish brand. It will sit beneath the XC40 Recharge in Volvo’s growing electric SUV model lineup.
The EX30 is expected to arrive shortly after the recently announced Volvo EX90 flagship model, and it shares that SUV’s angular and boxy design language. Teased in a new video posted by Volvo, it shares the same angular rear styling and lighting signature of other recent electric Volvo SUVs, while its nose shares a new take on Volvo’s ‘Thor’s Hammer’ headlights with individual LED elements.
While we previously were unaware of its name, we knew that a small electric SUV was on the cards, thanks to an interview with Volvo’s CEO Hakan Samuelsson from our sister publication, Auto Express. Speaking a few months ago, Samuelsson said: “We’ve said the next new electric car is really the successor of our SUV flagship, after that there will be a smaller SUV, and that’s what we’re talking about here. It’s very likely it will be made in China, yes.”
Volvo is a brand known for its focus on safety throughout its lineup, and this won’t be any different for the EX30. The small electric SUV will get a door opening alert system which warns occupants if cyclists or other traffic users are approaching the car as you open it, helping to avoid accidents. It’s part of Volvo’s latest Safe Space Technology suite to help keep the brand on the top of its game in terms of safety.
Other safety features include an advanced driver alert system which comes as standard, monitoring eye and face movements around 13 times per second to make sure the driver isn’t fatigued and thus unsafe to drive. It also gets a far-side airbag on the inside of the driver’s seat to help protect from head and thorax injury in a side impact. Because it’s an electric car, the brand has also put in measures to reinforce the integrity of the battery in case of a collision – a damaged battery can cause a car to catch fire if it shorts, so it’s a measure intended to mitigate that risk.
Given Volvo’s current model numbering system, we expect the new EX30 to sit below the C40 and XC40 Recharge in the lineup. Size-wise, it will be comparable with the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric, as well as the Smart #1, with which it will share many of its parts.
Volvo is owned by Chinese conglomerate Geely, which also has stakes in several other automotive brands such as Smart. The new Smart #1 SUV sits on the company’s Sustainable Experience Architecture Entry (SEA-E) platform, and it's likely this will also underpin the upcoming EX30.
The Smart #1 utilises a 66kWh battery that provides a range of up to 273 miles on a single charge; the baby Volvo will likely share this setup and with a few aerodynamic and mechanical tweaks, a range of up to 280 miles could be possible. All Smart #1s also come with 150kW fast charging capability – something that’s likely to come to the EX30, too – meaning a 10-80% charge can be completed in under 30 minutes when connected to a compatible public fast charger.
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So when can we expect the new car to arrive? We are yet to spot any prototypes out and about on public roads, so it's safe to say that it’ll be a while before we can walk into a showroom and buy a new EX30 – a release date sometime in 2024 seems possible. Given Volvo’s premium status, we expect the new car to cost more than the equivalent Peugeot e-2008 when it finally goes on sale, likely matching the Smart #1’s circa-£35,000 base price.
Keyword: New Volvo EX30 small SUV will get class-leading safety tech