The Volvo EX30, a premium electric SUV, has been selected as one of the 50 Best Innovations of 2023 by Popular Science.
Starting in 1988, the ‘Best of What’s New Awards’ celebrates new innovations that aim to improve people’s lives around the world. Each year, the editors at Popular Science review thousands of new products and technologies to select the top 50 winners across 10 categories.
Among these, the EX30 has been recognized for setting a new standard as a high-quality electric vehicle with an accessible and attractive price. Notably, its distinct combination of Volvo’s longstanding reputation for safety and the use of renewable materials has garnered it favorable recognition in its category, making it advantageous in the expanding electric vehicle market.
Additionally, the EX30 has been simultaneously nominated as a finalist in three prestigious automobile awards: ‘2024 European Car of the Year’, ‘2024 North American Car of the Year’ in the SUV category for ‘Utility of the Year’, and ‘World Car Awards 2024’ for ‘World Car of the Year’. The vehicle is receiving high acclaim on a global scale, cementing its status with explosive interest in the market since its debut after also being crowned ‘Car of the Year’ by the UK’s The Sun in October.
On the other hand, the EX30 is designed as a pure electric SUV that can seat five and is meant to drive new demand in the rapidly growing electric vehicle market. It strives for the popularization of premium pure electric vehicles through its Scandinavian design elements harmonized with the electrification era, innovative space design for the versatile five-seat SUV, a next-generation TMAP infotainment system with an intuitive Human-Machine Interface (HMI), and safety technology presenting new urban safety standards, ensuring a flagship-level user experience.
In South Korea, it offers a single motor extended range powertrain capable of traveling up to 475 km (WLTP standard) on a single charge, at a remarkably attractive price that allows customers to purchase premium electric vehicles with 100% subsidy eligibility, sparking significant buzz with over 1,000 pre-orders within just two days.
The domestic sales trims will be offered as two variants: Core and Ultra, differentiated by features including ▲ two-tone body color and wheel size among certain exterior and interior options ▲ powered front seats with memory function for the driver ▲ Park Pilot Assist and a 360-degree camera ▲ Harman Kardon premium sound system and other conveniences.
However, in line with the philosophy that ‘safety cannot be optional’, features such as Pilot Assist that aids safe driving by maintaining a distance from vehicles ahead, lane-keeping assistance, collision avoidance with oncoming vehicles, automatic emergency braking when reversing to detect collision risks, and a driver monitoring warning system that detects distractions are standard across all models. Additionally, it includes a ‘Door Opening Warning’ system that alerts drivers of approaching bicycles, motorcycles, etc., to prevent door swings that may cause accidents.
The selling prices are set at 49.45 million won for the Core trim and 55.16 million won for the Ultra trim, which includes ▲ the industry-leading 5-year or 100,000 km warranty on general parts and consumable replacement services ▲ 8 years/160,000 km high-voltage battery warranty ▲ 15 years of free wireless updates (OTA) support ▲ and a 5-year subscription to the digital service package. (Prices after environmental tax benefits, excluding subsidies)
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr