New Volvo electric vehicles will be equipped with some of the most advanced batteries in the world

The reorganization plan for car manufacturer Volvo includes not only software improvements but also equipping future electric vehicles with some of the most advanced battery technologies available outside of China. This is reported by Insideevs, writes UNN.

Details

The mid-size electric SUV EX60 will go on sale in the US and global markets next year. It will have battery options with two different chemical compositions, Anders Bell, Volvo's chief technical officer, told InsideEVs at the brand's plant in Ridgeville, South Carolina, USA.

Bell did not confirm the exact chemical composition of the EX60 battery but suggested that lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries are "definitely" being considered for the next-generation SPA3 platform, on which the EV will be based.

Volvo's two main battery suppliers are China's CATL and Korea's LG Energy Solution. CATL produces both LFP and traditional nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries, while LGES primarily produces high-nickel cells.

The Volvo EX30 already has two battery options in Europe: a 51 kilowatt-hour LFP pack and a 69 kWh NMC variant. Only the latter is available in the US. Volvo may follow a similar strategy with the EX60. However, the more important news is the transition to prismatic cells.

"We have standardized the cell form factor, a large prismatic, which will allow us to make the most of different cells," Bell said, referring to the cell shape that allows it to accommodate any battery chemistry.

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Prismatic cells are common in China and are now gaining popularity in the West. Volkswagen plans to use prismatic cells for its affordable electric vehicles starting next year. General Motors will also use large-format prismatic batteries in its full-size SUVs and trucks starting in 2028, with lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) batteries.

"It's like a VHS cassette, but a little bigger," Bell said.

He added that prismatic cells allow for cost and weight savings and also make the body stiffer. Moreover, the EX60 will use a "cell-to-body" approach, meaning the battery will be a structural element of the SPA3 platform rather than bolted on — this allows automakers to simplify batteries and fit more energy inside.

The EX60 will also feature other major upgrades, such as an Nvidia Drive Thor computer capable of performing 1,000 trillion operations per second. It will also receive Volvo's third generation of drive units with 93% efficiency, the automaker stated during Capital Markets Day in Sweden last year.

It will be produced at Volvo's main plant in Gothenburg, Sweden, and will go on sale sometime next year. It will compete with the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX3, and the new electric Mercedes GLC, among others. In other words, it is expected to be Volvo's most important electric vehicle to date.

Addition

Car manufacturer Volvo plans to release an electric car with an increased range. According to the company, the new model will be a large crossover (SUV), designed specifically for American families.