Volvo has issued a global recall for their EX30 Ultra electric vehicle (EV) due to battery overheating risks.
ADVICE AND RECALL
Swedish auto manufacturer Volvo is advising owners of its EX30 Ultra EV to limit battery charging to 70 per cent or less to avoid overheating and potential fire risks. In addition to a recommended battery limit, Volvo has advised customers to park their vehicles outdoors, “away from structures.” Both suggestions serve as temporary solutions while Volvo develops a permanent fix.
Meanwhile, the company is preparing an official recall of the model, mostly for the global right-hand drive market. The upcoming recall affects EX30 Ultra models manufactured between September 2024 and October 2025. So far, reports indicate that the announcement has been made in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Africa.
“When a remedy is available, owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by Volvo requesting them to schedule an appointment to have the repair work carried out free of charge,” the company wrote.
Overall, 33,777 EX30 Ultra units globally are affected by the battery issue. More than 10,000 defective vehicles were found in the UK, while 2,815 units were found in Australia. Meanwhile in South Africa, Volvo found 372 affected units. Singapore and the US had significantly fewer defective units with 143 units and 40 units found respectively.
RARE INCIDENTS
“Safety is Volvo Cars’ top priority. Although the number of reported incidents is very low—accounting for around 0.02% of the vehicles we have identified as potentially affected—and we have received no reports of related personal injuries, we are taking this matter extremely seriously,” Volvo UK said in a statement.
The 0.02 per cent represents 7 incidents of a vehicle catching fire, none of which occurred in the US or Singapore.
However, one of the incidents occurred in a dealership in Maceió, Brazil last year. The fire required 11 firefighters and 4 fire trucks to be extinguished. The vehicle was destroyed completely in the process.
To date, no casualties or injuries have been reported.
THE BATTERY DEFECT
The EX30 Ultra is equipped with a 69.0 kWh battery that offers a driving range of up to 420km. The overheating issue can be traced to manufacturing defects in the battery cells. These defects face a risk of short-circuiting within the battery modules and lead to overheating.
These batteries were reportedly supplied by Sunwoda Power Battery Company.
“In rare cases, the battery can overheat when charged to a high level, which could, in a worst-case scenario, lead to a fire starting in the battery,” said a spokesperson for Volvo’s Singaporean distributor, Wearnes Automotive. “If this happens, a warning message stating HV-Battery overheating will occur.”
Sunwoda Chairman Wang Wei responded to the ongoing allegations in an interview with Jiupai News. “The battery packs were actually provided by factories within Volvo’s own system,” he said.
Wang specified that Geely (Volvo’s parent company) and Sunwoda manufactured these cells together as part of a joint venture, in which Sunwoda holds a 30 per cent stake.
For more information regarding the EX30 Ultra vehicle recall in Australia, click here.
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