We’ve come a long way from the driving goggles and loud petrol engines of the early 1900s. Today, we have fully electric cars, intelligent driver support and advanced safety belts that adapt to passengers.
At Volvo Cars, we’ve always been at the forefront of innovation by redefining how a modern vehicle looks, feels and moves. We’re continuously refining and optimising every stage of production to drive the industry forward.
Our latest innovation happens beneath the surface. Our new technology mega casting will help us reduce manufacturing complexity, vehicle cost and vehicle weight, while improving sustainability. For an electric car, the reduced weight translates to optimised energy efficiency and a longer driving range. The mega casting technology also gives a stiffer structural frame, all while freeing up extra space inside the cabin.
In the era of electric cars, finding ways to improve our car manufacturing and deliver great benefits to our customers are more important than ever. And it all starts with our newest car, the EX60, and the new technology mega casting.
What is mega casting?
Mega casting is a technology and a production process that allows us to build a car’s main part of the rear floor structure using one single piece of solid high pressure aluminium casting. It marks a huge shift in how we build cars, replacing around 100 sheet metal parts with one large cast floor component.
“By using one large casted aluminium piece instead of smaller individual pieces welded together, we’re improving production flexibility and the utilisation of our materials.”
The EX60: the first Volvo car out on the new mega casting architecture
The EX60 is the first fully electric car to be released with our SPA3 architecture. It allows us to be more agile in how we design, build and scale our future cars.
We produce our mega-casted floor in-house in Torslanda, Sweden. Manufacturing the EX60 with this process is a strategic step in our long-term strategy to increase production efficiency and to achieve our goal of becoming fully electric.
A manufacturing revolution
To understand why mega casting matters, it helps to look at traditional manufacturing. Instead of stamping, transporting and assembling hundreds of separate parts, the process is reduced to a few core steps: bringing in aluminium, melting it, casting it and machining it. What used to take months can now be done in days.
Mega casting also changes how efficiently material is used. In stamping, a significant share becomes scrap. With casting, almost all of the material ends up in the final component – and any excess can be reused directly in the process, allowing the EX60 to be manufactured using 50 per cent recycled aluminium.
With mega casting, does an accident mean replacing the whole rear floor?
At Volvo Cars, we always innovate with safety in mind. In the unlikely event of the car's mega casting structure being damaged, we’re able to repair without needing to replace the entirety of the structure. The mega casting and rear floor area are designed in different zones for easy repairability based on severity of the crash event.
"A damaged mega casting doesn't require a total replacement. We've zoned the structure for targeted, efficient repairs”
We’ve designed our mega casting structure to bring strength and stiffness to our cars. If repairs are needed, the repair instructions are easy to follow and straightforward to secure a repaired product with an equal level of safety as the new car.
Strengthening our future with mega casting
The EX60 is a symbol of our ambitions for the future of electric cars.
With a simplified production process and less parts, we’re reducing both costs and manufacturing complexity. This means long-term wins for us in terms of scalability and production efficiency.
In terms of sustainability, this process also means a lower CO₂ footprint compared to conventional steel rear floor. This is thanks to the efficient in-house production, high material utilisation and high recycled content used in the mega casting process.
As innovators within the industry, we at Volvo Cars are always striving to find new ways to create cars with safety and sustainability in the forefront, in line with Volvo Cars’ purpose and Scandinavian heritage. By optimising our manufacturing methods, we’re pushing the envelope even further. Mega casting allows us to create cars in an efficient, streamlined and consistent way that’s mindful of material waste and CO₂ footprint.
