‘The most important car of them all’: EX60 set to convince EV doubters

Volvo Cars has spent the last year resetting its business. Next year it aims to reset expectations of what electric vehicles can deliver. The forthcoming EX60 is a major part of that plan. Global CEO Håkan Samuelsson believes it will be Volvo’s biggest car yet.

“Next year, we will have a new beginning when we complete our all-electric lineup with the most important car of them all,” he told analysts.

“We already have the [EX] 30, 40 and 90. Now we need the 60, which is the best-selling segment in the EV segment. And that, of course, will be a big step into our electrification. It's also a big step into making an electric car that is going to be affordable for consumers, also delivering much longer range.”

Volvo has not officially confirmed that the EX60 will deliver a range potentially beyond 700km on a single charge – though has stated it will “have a longer electric range than any Volvo before it.” Currently the ES90, with a stated maximum range of up to 700km, is the frontrunner.

Volvo Cars’ new 800v charging technology is also set to make the EX60 one of the fastest charging cars on the market.

However, customers will have to wait until the EX60 is officially unveiled on 21 January for the full spec, including prices, with the company so far stating only that it will be “priced as a PHEV”, i.e. comparable to the latest high spec XC60.

In the meantime, Samuelsson is backing the new model to accelerate adoption of electric vehicles among those that remain hesitant.

“I think it will boost the interest really for having a second look also for the people who have doubted a bit so far, can electric car be something for me? And we will have a very good answer into that segment. So I'm very confident with the performance of the EX60,” he said. “It will be a new beginning in the EV business.”

Chief commercial officer Erik Severinson underlined that view during Volvo Cars’ strategy update earlier this month.

“The biggest electric car segment in the world is mid-sized SUVs, and we haven't had an offer [in that segment]. From 21st of January we will … and that's the EX60. By adding the EX60, we will increase the addressable BEV [battery electric vehicle] market for this company by 200 per cent. Today we're addressing roughly 25 per cent of the market. We will address 75 per cent of the market by just adding this car,” said Severinson. “So this is massively important for us.”

Hybrid plan But Volvo also has longer range plans for its hybrid vehicles – much longer. The carmaker this month sold its millionth plug-in hybrid. Now it aims to flip the model and create a new generation that are effectively electric vehicles with a back-up engine rather than the other way around.

Chief strategy & product officer Michael Fleiss outlined the PHEV plan at Volvo Cars’ strategy update.

“We have started in the very past with pure ICE [internal combustion engine] cars, then mild hybrids, plug-in hybrids and then BEVs. And this bridge is not long enough. So, what will we do now? We will first upgrade our PHEV cars … But then the big news is we will create the second generation of PHEV cars,” according to Fleiss.

“These cars will be like a BEV, they will drive like a BEV, they will have the infotainment like a BEV, and they will feel like a BEV. But you have a backup engine for customers who are living in an area which is not ready yet for this infrastructure and they cannot charge, or for customers who don't want a BEV yet.”

The first of those second-generation PHEVs is the Volvo XC70, which has an all-electric range of up to 200kms – more than double any of Volvo Cars’ PHEVs to date – and a total combined range of almost 1,200km without refuelling. While the XC70 was built for the Chinese market, Fleiss indicated it may yet have broader distribution:

“This car was launched recently, and we have really good sales volumes on that one. So, [a] success story in China and we may bring it to Europe,” he said. “That car is a BEV car with a back-up engine.”