What will truly set the EX60 apart from other electric Volvos will be its “structural” battery pack. This technology has already been adopted by the likes of Tesla and BYD, and essentially bonds the battery pack with the floor of the car. The result, Severinson told Auto Express, is “improved energy density” and, given the extra structural rigidity, “great driveability”.
The larger EX90 will be offered with a huge 107kWh (usable) battery pack when it arrives towards the tail end of this year, offering a range of 364 miles on a single charge. Given the EX60’s smaller size, we expect to see a slightly smaller, lighter battery fitted to top-spec models. The increased energy density of its structural battery pack could see range figures approaching the 400-mile mark, however.
The incorporation of this new kind of cell technology is thanks in part to the EX60’s megacasted rear underfloor. Unlike most cars, which have rear undercarriages constructed using a multitude of different parts, the EX60 will instead get a single unit cast out of aluminium.
We visited the factory in Gothenburg, Sweden, which will assemble the megacasted floor of the EX60 – a car that Volvo currently describes as an “as-of-yet unannounced new model”. Essentially following the same manufacturing processes used to build 1:64-scale model cars but greatly enlarged, megacasting is a relatively new concept in the automotive sphere, with Tesla being the only other mainstream manufacturer currently adopting it, along with several Chinese brands such as Nio, Zeekr and XPeng.
Volvo says the new rear floor weighs “15-20 per cent less” than a traditional stamped equivalent and that it offers “just as good, if not better safety and durability”.
There are other incidental benefits from the process, too, including an increased boot capacity and faster production times. A megacasted floor takes 120 seconds to build, as opposed to a full hour for a multi-piece stamped floor.
Plus, while Volvo’s production process currently uses 20 per cent recycled aluminium, the goal is to increase this figure and fully recycle the megacasted floor at the end of the car’s life.
We expect the new Volvo EX60 to go on sale next year, in line with when the company says its megacasting production will commence. A full unveiling could possibly take place before the end of this year, though, with prices and specs being confirmed further down the line.
Click here for our list of the best electric SUVs…
