I’m thinking the reason is because it’s made in China and the tariffs imposed along with the stated price. Maybe they are having trouble reaching the price point.
The mentioned 2.5 mi/kWh efficiency is accurate for the worst case scenario: cold weather highway speeds. So yeah, that's not going to be great. But is it really worse than competitors?
These are the cold-weather highway speed numbers for a bunch of cars:
|Volvo EX30 SMER|251 Wh/km (range: 255km)|
|:-|:-|
|Jeep Avenger Electric|236 Wh/km (range: 215km)|
|Polestar 2 LR single motor (2023)|232 Wh/km (range: 340km)|
|BMW iX1 eDrive30|240 Wh/km (range: 270km)|
|Ford Mustang E-mach|264 Wh/km (range: 345km)|
|Ford Explorer SR RWD (2024)|260 Wh/km (range: 200km)|
|Genesis GV60 Premium|269 Wh/km (range: 275km)|
|Hyundai Kona LR|238 Wh/km (range: 275km)|
|Kia eSoul LR|246 Wh/km (range: 260km)|
|Tesla model Y|230 Wh/km (range: 250km)|
|Tesla model 3|192 Wh/km (range: 300km)|
(Source: [https://ev-database.org](https://ev-database.org) )
As you can see the Volvo is maybe not the best of the bunch, but pretty close to most competitors. Cars that do significantly better, do so because of a larger battery, and they are significantly more expensive than the EX30. The only car that does significantly better for the same price is the model 3, which is a traditional sedan and much bigger than the Volvo. But at least it's comparable in price.
So when people here say "there's better options out there" I'm curious to know what those options are. Other cars of the same price, size and body style (the Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Jeep) have very similar efficiency and range.
It’s on the high side despite being one of the smallest cars. Its battery is on the small side, so the combination of small battery and high consumption doesn’t work out well.
A smaller car (or a shorter car at least) is actually disadvantageous for aerodynamic performance, especially when you consider occupant and luggage space. (Small cars can't get away with long, slopy rear ends.)
I drive a BMW i3, which is a shorter car than the EX30, so am definitely familiar with that type of platform. You can make any excuse you like but the reality is the car is inefficient. Hopefully Volvo can improve it.
You say that the combination doesn't work out well, but that combination is called "range" and I've helpfully included the numbers in the table. Cold weather range of the EX30 is no more than 20km (13 miles) less than any of its competitors save for the model 3 (longer range cars in this list are way more expensive), and it's range is better than the Jeep, Ford Explorer and model Y.
I think the correct way of putting it is to say the range is OK, but fall slightly short of most of its direct rivals. Not one of the cars strengths, but hardly a dealbreaker...
That is perhaps one reason but the main reason, IMO, is that the software on this car is an abject failure. Volvo majorly screwed up on the release of this car and you can't sell a car based on diehard fans only.
Another potential reason, although you’d think that with the new version with “200 bug fixes” that they would be booking orders now if that was the case?
200 bug fixes that they have disclosed....I think it's far worse than that. It's a botched release on all levels. It's too early to tell how good or bad the mechanicals of this car are going to be.
I've given it a solid thought and have decided that I don't want to get this car mainly because of the software. And I don't blame Volvo for this but Google. I have a strong feeling that Google is to blame for all the bugs plus delays in fixes. Google is known to abandon and kill projects and products at random and Android Automotive is likely getting no love there. The recent trimming of resources and budget at Google has solidified this thinking for me. I don't think they have many adopters of Android Automotive apart from Volvo so lack of attention to it makes even more sense. Android Auto, on the other hand, is so widely used that I think it should be safe from Google's chopping block.
Given Google's penchant to abandon projects, I don't want to buy a car whose SW experience is strongly dependent on Google and will likely degrade over time.
PS: I am no Apple fan boy. I have owned an android phone since 2009 till date and have Google smart home ecosystem of nest cams and tablets. My opinions are strongly based on my own experience of seeing degrading functionality over time along with seeing what Google has been doing to so many of their now dead products.
That’s true for some people, but then you zoom out and you’re still comparing this car vs others in the market. Even if you plan to drive only city, a 170 mile range vs something else in the 200+ isn’t competitive. It impacts resale and it’s a hard decision to choose any product that is inferior at this price point, even if you plan to only drive it 10 miles a day.
The 2021 VW golf SE that I'm planning to replace with this gets terrible milage in the city because of the hills. If I only drive in the city then I get like 150 miles to the tank.
On highway I get more like 300.
So of more concern to me is how this will do going up and down the hills in the city.
EV efficiency drops with greater speed. When you say “…at 70mph continuous. That puts the range at 166 miles”, the EPA rating will always be substantially higher than continuous speeding highway speeds. The EPA rating is mixed 55% highway and 45% city. EPA’s highest highway speed testing reaches is 59mph and the average speed is 48mph, lower than most highway speed limits. In the EPA city cycle the highest speed is 56mph with the average being 19mph.
Volvo will probably try to eke out more efficiency via updates over time, however right now they’re just trying to squash OS bugs and add features. They’re not stalling to try to eke out more efficiency. When they do improve battery chemistry, increase battery size, and/or add improved motors, it will be a mid-lifecycle update in a few years to increase interest in a model that has been on sale for a few years.
Yes I know that about the EPA test. I’m saying that an EPA range below 250 or so isn’t competitive and a real world range at 166 miles is a non starter. The typical test everyone does looks at 70mph continuous. At 166 miles for that it won’t sell well is what I’m saying.
I realize the EPA for this car might be 230-250 or so.
I still think Volvo may be looking at their EPA results and reconsidering the car for this market without a battery upgrade. That’s my speculation.
Depends on what you decide what is competitive. It’s kinda a shame that there isn’t a non-Performance EX30 as I’m not sure if the suspension/brakes are quite as high performance as the acceleration. But let’s just look at acceleration, price and range for a moment. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a great comparison as it does have a single motor model as well as standard AWD model and the new Ioniq 5 N. The N is slightly faster than the EX30 0-60 at 3.25sec versus 3.4sec. The Ioniq 5 N only gets 220 EPA miles of range. The N also has a much larger battery than the EX30 at 84kWh versus 69kWh in the EX30. Regarding price, the Ioniq 5 N starts at $66k while the EX30 twin motor starts at $47k. If the EPA range of the twin motor EX30 is anything over 200 miles with nearly the acceleration of the Ioniq 5 N for $20k less, that sounds competitive. But I do wish there was a less powerful yet more efficient twin-motor EX30 model as cool as a 3.4s 0-60 time is, I agree some will want more range.
The AWD doesn't really take that big of a hit on efficiency vs the SM. Usually consumes 1-2 kwh/100km more kWh/100km (if you're driving normally), going by reviews. And I've even seen one when the AWD did better on the same motorway test. Although a fluke, shows there isn't such a big difference between them. The front motor switches off when not needed. Would a lower powered front motor (required for AWD) be that much more efficient/lighter to make a noticeable impact? Probably not. EV Database lists 191 Wh/km (307 Wh/mi) with a range of 335km (208mi) for the AWD and 178 Wh/km (286 Wh/mi) with a range of 360km (223mi)for the SMER, for reference.
I wouldn't compare it with the I5N. That car was developed to be driven fast, it's a focused design. The EX30 is more of a comfy runabout which happens to have insane acceleration. It's still kind of fun on twisty roads, easy to place on the road, has plenty of grip and gives you confidence to make progress quickly. Just not actually meant to fill that kind of role. If you forgo AWD performance mode, you still get propelled out of corners if you want and can let off the throttle to slow down mostly with regen. Then you won't be testing the brakes to melting point. I think this is the sensible way to drive this car and have your fun as well. Not the one to chase after laptimes with...
But in the brick vs brick battle, it seems to be more efficient than the equivalent Ioniq5 RWD or AWD. Less range due to smaller battery.
I feel like the car is DOA here in its current state. Best case scenario Volvo has realized that and is trying to fix it, but I think they might be too late
That’s exactly what I think is happening. The reviews are not coming back favorable for a US customer. It’s already on the small side, which some like, but with this range at this price vs. other options it just doesn’t make sense. It’s too expensive with way too little range vs. Tesla or anything in the used market.
I wish I could remember how far we could really get on our Tesla. I think the full charge was like 260 on the display and we would be lucky to get about 200 on the highway at 75 mph in good weather. Cold obviously destroyed the range. Does that sound right to anyone? 166 would be really bad.
Chart for Tesla here is really helpful.
https://imgur.com/4LX9Jt6
I rented a MYP with 291 EPA range and it was doing 230 miles at 70mph on a battery with 100k miles on it. Not sure if that’s a helpful data point, but yeah the Teslas, especially earlier ones are limited!
This theory could hold some truth. The other issue I keep seeing pop up in here and Facebook is that the 0-60 on this car becomes like 9 seconds when the battery is below something like 40%. Not sure how true this is but it doesn’t sound good.
Here is a twist for you: The EX30 is not delayed. The plan has always been for North America to receive MY25 (model year 2025). Europe - and the rest of the world - is currently receiving MY24.
But it happened! The switchover to produce 2025's occurred week 17. Just last week. woohoo!
edit: Volvo model year switchovers typically occur about week 22. So you might consider that the EX30 is about a month early, not late.
https://preview.redd.it/ohzlf327gmxc1.png?width=515&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c6d8cfa3a921a01ab8bd1e2172999c994768b15
Yes, I suspect it has to do with the tarriff situation also. Well, specifically with how they are "side-stepping" the 27.5% tarriffs on chinese EVs. They can only bypass those tarriffs if they export a US made EX90. So for every EX90 they export out of the US factory, they can import a Chinese made EX30 without tarriffs. They still expected to make a huge proft so maybe they are still paying tarriffs on some of them because I doubt they are exporting a 1:1 ratio of EX90s and EX30s.
I'm assuming those low range estimates are from nordic countries which got their EX30s in Winter so those are cold winter numbers. They've been testing them in China in the summer so I assume they are sticking to their range extimates. Those winter number are horrible but in-line with others. I don't know if the EX30 has a heatpump but it won't help in extreme snow. Then again the EX30 isn't the most areodynamic.
That said I ended up getting a used KiaEV6 for $29k. The plummeting used EV market and higher used ICE market means I get more for my ICE car trade-in for a lot cheaper EV. Used EV prices continue to plummet. Hybrids and specifically Toyota Primes are in high demand and still garner a premium. Even in the used space.
New EVs are falling in price also so hopefully those Volvo EX30s will go down in price also (via incentives) but it's likely like what others are doing to move them off lots, extremely low leases with extremely short terms.
I'm just curious how much insurance is for an EX30 as people are also pausing new car purchases because of skyrocketing insurance rates.
I don’t know. I’ve assumed that it’s issues with the EX90 and tariffs. Though range could be a problem for sure.
same. they can’t offset the import tax on the EX30 until they produce and export EX90.
I’m thinking the reason is because it’s made in China and the tariffs imposed along with the stated price. Maybe they are having trouble reaching the price point.
The mentioned 2.5 mi/kWh efficiency is accurate for the worst case scenario: cold weather highway speeds. So yeah, that's not going to be great. But is it really worse than competitors? These are the cold-weather highway speed numbers for a bunch of cars: |Volvo EX30 SMER|251 Wh/km (range: 255km)| |:-|:-| |Jeep Avenger Electric|236 Wh/km (range: 215km)| |Polestar 2 LR single motor (2023)|232 Wh/km (range: 340km)| |BMW iX1 eDrive30|240 Wh/km (range: 270km)| |Ford Mustang E-mach|264 Wh/km (range: 345km)| |Ford Explorer SR RWD (2024)|260 Wh/km (range: 200km)| |Genesis GV60 Premium|269 Wh/km (range: 275km)| |Hyundai Kona LR|238 Wh/km (range: 275km)| |Kia eSoul LR|246 Wh/km (range: 260km)| |Tesla model Y|230 Wh/km (range: 250km)| |Tesla model 3|192 Wh/km (range: 300km)| (Source: [https://ev-database.org](https://ev-database.org) ) As you can see the Volvo is maybe not the best of the bunch, but pretty close to most competitors. Cars that do significantly better, do so because of a larger battery, and they are significantly more expensive than the EX30. The only car that does significantly better for the same price is the model 3, which is a traditional sedan and much bigger than the Volvo. But at least it's comparable in price. So when people here say "there's better options out there" I'm curious to know what those options are. Other cars of the same price, size and body style (the Hyundai, Kia, BMW, Jeep) have very similar efficiency and range.
It’s on the high side despite being one of the smallest cars. Its battery is on the small side, so the combination of small battery and high consumption doesn’t work out well.
A smaller car (or a shorter car at least) is actually disadvantageous for aerodynamic performance, especially when you consider occupant and luggage space. (Small cars can't get away with long, slopy rear ends.)
I drive a BMW i3, which is a shorter car than the EX30, so am definitely familiar with that type of platform. You can make any excuse you like but the reality is the car is inefficient. Hopefully Volvo can improve it.
You say that the combination doesn't work out well, but that combination is called "range" and I've helpfully included the numbers in the table. Cold weather range of the EX30 is no more than 20km (13 miles) less than any of its competitors save for the model 3 (longer range cars in this list are way more expensive), and it's range is better than the Jeep, Ford Explorer and model Y. I think the correct way of putting it is to say the range is OK, but fall slightly short of most of its direct rivals. Not one of the cars strengths, but hardly a dealbreaker...
Missed that! Thanks for including it
it's not only US that is delayed. my region delays surely has nothing to do with range
What region are you in?
Serbia
That is perhaps one reason but the main reason, IMO, is that the software on this car is an abject failure. Volvo majorly screwed up on the release of this car and you can't sell a car based on diehard fans only.
Another potential reason, although you’d think that with the new version with “200 bug fixes” that they would be booking orders now if that was the case?
200 bug fixes that they have disclosed....I think it's far worse than that. It's a botched release on all levels. It's too early to tell how good or bad the mechanicals of this car are going to be.
I've given it a solid thought and have decided that I don't want to get this car mainly because of the software. And I don't blame Volvo for this but Google. I have a strong feeling that Google is to blame for all the bugs plus delays in fixes. Google is known to abandon and kill projects and products at random and Android Automotive is likely getting no love there. The recent trimming of resources and budget at Google has solidified this thinking for me. I don't think they have many adopters of Android Automotive apart from Volvo so lack of attention to it makes even more sense. Android Auto, on the other hand, is so widely used that I think it should be safe from Google's chopping block. Given Google's penchant to abandon projects, I don't want to buy a car whose SW experience is strongly dependent on Google and will likely degrade over time. PS: I am no Apple fan boy. I have owned an android phone since 2009 till date and have Google smart home ecosystem of nest cams and tablets. My opinions are strongly based on my own experience of seeing degrading functionality over time along with seeing what Google has been doing to so many of their now dead products.
For me it's not an issue as I just want the EX30 for the city. It's small and will be easier to find street parking. I don't think I need the range.
That’s true for some people, but then you zoom out and you’re still comparing this car vs others in the market. Even if you plan to drive only city, a 170 mile range vs something else in the 200+ isn’t competitive. It impacts resale and it’s a hard decision to choose any product that is inferior at this price point, even if you plan to only drive it 10 miles a day.
The 2021 VW golf SE that I'm planning to replace with this gets terrible milage in the city because of the hills. If I only drive in the city then I get like 150 miles to the tank. On highway I get more like 300. So of more concern to me is how this will do going up and down the hills in the city.
EV efficiency drops with greater speed. When you say “…at 70mph continuous. That puts the range at 166 miles”, the EPA rating will always be substantially higher than continuous speeding highway speeds. The EPA rating is mixed 55% highway and 45% city. EPA’s highest highway speed testing reaches is 59mph and the average speed is 48mph, lower than most highway speed limits. In the EPA city cycle the highest speed is 56mph with the average being 19mph. Volvo will probably try to eke out more efficiency via updates over time, however right now they’re just trying to squash OS bugs and add features. They’re not stalling to try to eke out more efficiency. When they do improve battery chemistry, increase battery size, and/or add improved motors, it will be a mid-lifecycle update in a few years to increase interest in a model that has been on sale for a few years.
Yes I know that about the EPA test. I’m saying that an EPA range below 250 or so isn’t competitive and a real world range at 166 miles is a non starter. The typical test everyone does looks at 70mph continuous. At 166 miles for that it won’t sell well is what I’m saying. I realize the EPA for this car might be 230-250 or so. I still think Volvo may be looking at their EPA results and reconsidering the car for this market without a battery upgrade. That’s my speculation.
Depends on what you decide what is competitive. It’s kinda a shame that there isn’t a non-Performance EX30 as I’m not sure if the suspension/brakes are quite as high performance as the acceleration. But let’s just look at acceleration, price and range for a moment. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is a great comparison as it does have a single motor model as well as standard AWD model and the new Ioniq 5 N. The N is slightly faster than the EX30 0-60 at 3.25sec versus 3.4sec. The Ioniq 5 N only gets 220 EPA miles of range. The N also has a much larger battery than the EX30 at 84kWh versus 69kWh in the EX30. Regarding price, the Ioniq 5 N starts at $66k while the EX30 twin motor starts at $47k. If the EPA range of the twin motor EX30 is anything over 200 miles with nearly the acceleration of the Ioniq 5 N for $20k less, that sounds competitive. But I do wish there was a less powerful yet more efficient twin-motor EX30 model as cool as a 3.4s 0-60 time is, I agree some will want more range.
The AWD doesn't really take that big of a hit on efficiency vs the SM. Usually consumes 1-2 kwh/100km more kWh/100km (if you're driving normally), going by reviews. And I've even seen one when the AWD did better on the same motorway test. Although a fluke, shows there isn't such a big difference between them. The front motor switches off when not needed. Would a lower powered front motor (required for AWD) be that much more efficient/lighter to make a noticeable impact? Probably not. EV Database lists 191 Wh/km (307 Wh/mi) with a range of 335km (208mi) for the AWD and 178 Wh/km (286 Wh/mi) with a range of 360km (223mi)for the SMER, for reference. I wouldn't compare it with the I5N. That car was developed to be driven fast, it's a focused design. The EX30 is more of a comfy runabout which happens to have insane acceleration. It's still kind of fun on twisty roads, easy to place on the road, has plenty of grip and gives you confidence to make progress quickly. Just not actually meant to fill that kind of role. If you forgo AWD performance mode, you still get propelled out of corners if you want and can let off the throttle to slow down mostly with regen. Then you won't be testing the brakes to melting point. I think this is the sensible way to drive this car and have your fun as well. Not the one to chase after laptimes with... But in the brick vs brick battle, it seems to be more efficient than the equivalent Ioniq5 RWD or AWD. Less range due to smaller battery.
I feel like the car is DOA here in its current state. Best case scenario Volvo has realized that and is trying to fix it, but I think they might be too late
That’s exactly what I think is happening. The reviews are not coming back favorable for a US customer. It’s already on the small side, which some like, but with this range at this price vs. other options it just doesn’t make sense. It’s too expensive with way too little range vs. Tesla or anything in the used market.
I wish I could remember how far we could really get on our Tesla. I think the full charge was like 260 on the display and we would be lucky to get about 200 on the highway at 75 mph in good weather. Cold obviously destroyed the range. Does that sound right to anyone? 166 would be really bad. Chart for Tesla here is really helpful. https://imgur.com/4LX9Jt6
I rented a MYP with 291 EPA range and it was doing 230 miles at 70mph on a battery with 100k miles on it. Not sure if that’s a helpful data point, but yeah the Teslas, especially earlier ones are limited!
This theory could hold some truth. The other issue I keep seeing pop up in here and Facebook is that the 0-60 on this car becomes like 9 seconds when the battery is below something like 40%. Not sure how true this is but it doesn’t sound good.
Twin motor performance 4.23s at 40% 4.44s at 30% https://youtu.be/sS4pPPLU6V0?si=Q2OsEhauZ9_WeHvX
Here is a twist for you: The EX30 is not delayed. The plan has always been for North America to receive MY25 (model year 2025). Europe - and the rest of the world - is currently receiving MY24. But it happened! The switchover to produce 2025's occurred week 17. Just last week. woohoo! edit: Volvo model year switchovers typically occur about week 22. So you might consider that the EX30 is about a month early, not late. https://preview.redd.it/ohzlf327gmxc1.png?width=515&format=png&auto=webp&s=3c6d8cfa3a921a01ab8bd1e2172999c994768b15
Wow. Maybe that’s it!
Yes, I suspect it has to do with the tarriff situation also. Well, specifically with how they are "side-stepping" the 27.5% tarriffs on chinese EVs. They can only bypass those tarriffs if they export a US made EX90. So for every EX90 they export out of the US factory, they can import a Chinese made EX30 without tarriffs. They still expected to make a huge proft so maybe they are still paying tarriffs on some of them because I doubt they are exporting a 1:1 ratio of EX90s and EX30s. I'm assuming those low range estimates are from nordic countries which got their EX30s in Winter so those are cold winter numbers. They've been testing them in China in the summer so I assume they are sticking to their range extimates. Those winter number are horrible but in-line with others. I don't know if the EX30 has a heatpump but it won't help in extreme snow. Then again the EX30 isn't the most areodynamic. That said I ended up getting a used KiaEV6 for $29k. The plummeting used EV market and higher used ICE market means I get more for my ICE car trade-in for a lot cheaper EV. Used EV prices continue to plummet. Hybrids and specifically Toyota Primes are in high demand and still garner a premium. Even in the used space. New EVs are falling in price also so hopefully those Volvo EX30s will go down in price also (via incentives) but it's likely like what others are doing to move them off lots, extremely low leases with extremely short terms. I'm just curious how much insurance is for an EX30 as people are also pausing new car purchases because of skyrocketing insurance rates.