Volvo EX30 Winter Energy Consumption Test Leaves Much To Be Desired
The Volvo EX30 has the potential to significantly boost the Swedish automaker’s sales volume thanks to its affordability and ease of use. It’s the company’s cheapest new car, even though it’s an EV, and it employs some of the tricks used by Tesla to lower production costs (think single screen and as few buttons as possible).
But what about range and efficiency? Volvo touts a maximum EPA driving range of 275 miles for the single-motor version, while the all-wheel drive variant has a manufacturer-estimated range of 265 miles on a full charge.
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Nearly all new EVs have teething issues at first
It’s hard to say if the Volvo EX30 will struggle with winter range without independent testing. But nearly all EVs coming to market in their initial years have some struggles, often with software. These cars represent new technology for established car companies and startups alike.
The advertised range is just one part of the story, though. Now that the EX30 is arriving at dealerships in Europe—the U.S. will follow in mid-2024—people are putting the small electric crossover through its paces in the real world.
That includes people like Christoffer Gullin, who runs one of the largest Swedish-based EV-oriented YouTube channels (he also has a smaller channel where he speaks in English). He took a Volvo EX30 Twin Motor Performance for a test drive from a dealer in Sweden and shot a video documenting his experience, with an emphasis on energy consumption.
The car in question was still running pre-production software, according to the dealer. As for specs, the EX30 Twin Performance comes with a 69-kilowatt-hour battery pack (gross capacity, 64 kWh usable) and a dual-motor setup that makes 315 kW (422 hp).
That said, when driving in the default mode, only the rear motor provides motivation–the front motor kicks in when switching to the Performance driving mode, according to the video embedded below.
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Volvo’s official specs say this particular type of EX30 has a WLTP combined range of 450 kilometers (279 miles) and a combined energy consumption of 17.5 kWh/100 km (281.6 Wh/mile). In ideal conditions, that is.
In the Swedish winter, however, the situation is quite different when it comes to energy consumption. Christoffer started his test with the battery state of charge (SoC) at 83% and the ambient temperature at 0 degrees Celsius (32 Fahrenheit). He drove exactly 110 km (68.3 miles) at an average speed of 84 kph (52 mph) before stopping for a quick top-up.
At this point, the SoC was down to 68% and the trip computer showed an average energy consumption of 22.3 kWh/100 km (358.8 Wh/mi).
After recharging to 80% from an Ionity DC fast charger, he drove back the same distance, but this time the figures were different. The state of charge went down 30%, the average speed was 108.7 kph (67.5 mph), and the energy consumption was exactly 30 kWh/100 km (482.8 Wh/mi). At this rate, the 64-kWh battery would be depleted after driving just 213 km (132 miles).
By comparison, Norway’s El Prix EV range test showed that the Ford F-150 Lightning, which weighs roughly 2,000 pounds more than the EX30, sips less energy than the Chinese-made crossover in real-world winter conditions, averaging 27.9 kWh/100 km (449 Wh/mi).
What’s your take on this? Let us know in the comments below.
