Volvo is starting to reveal some details about its upcoming midsize electric SUV, the EX60, ahead of its official debut on January 21st. The EX60 will have an estimated range of 400 miles (or 810 km based on the generous WLTP standard in Europe). That’s significantly more range than any previous Volvo EV – at least until the 434-mile-range ES90 sedan arrives. And the EX60 will be the first vehicle to benefit from the automaker’s new megacasting production process to reduce weight and improve manufacturing efficiency.
“One of the things we wanted to do was create an electric vehicle without any compromises,” Akhil Krishnan, head of program management for the EX60, told me. “Choosing an electric drive shouldn’t be a compromise for you, so this was very important to us.”
To that end, improving the vehicle’s range and charging time was key among the goals of Krishnan and his team. They wanted to change “range anxiety” to “range comfort”, meaning the driver would have enough range that it would no longer be a hindrance – just like consumers don’t choose gasoline cars based on tank size.
But limits alone are not enough; Charging speed was also important. Krishnan said Volvo conducted extensive customer research and found that many EV owners feel forced to plan their lives around charging stops, often waiting 40 minutes or more. Volvo wanted the EX60 to fit into the natural human brake. For example, if a driver stops for 10 minutes to get a coffee or use the restroom, the car should be ready to go again within that time.
The EX60 should meet that standard due to its 800-volt architecture, which is a first for Volvo. Other automakers like Hyundai and Kia have emerged amid rising demand for EVs thanks to their fast-charging, 800-volt-architecture vehicles, and now Volvo wants to do the same. Using a 400kW fast charger the EX60 can charge from 10-80 percent in 19 minutes, or add 168 miles of range in just 10 minutes.
But limits alone are not enough; Charging speed was also important
Of course, finding a charger that can produce that much speed can be a problem, especially here in the US – but it’s definitely getting better. Krishnan said Volvo aims to provide excellent charging performance not only on 400kW chargers but also on the more common 250kW units.
The vehicle is built on Volvo’s new SPA3 platform, designed specifically for electric vehicles with no traditional constraints from the combustion engine. The EX60 is not dependent on any battery breakthroughs to achieve its improved range – the nickel-cobalt-manganese chemistry is the same as the rest of the EV lineup – but rather on manufacturing advances such as megacasting and the use of structural battery packs to reduce weight and improve vehicle integrity. It will also include battery preconditioning so that the battery is at the right temperature for optimal charging to help maintain those high speeds.
The new platform not only saves weight but also cuts costs, Krishnan said, with estimated savings of 20-35 percent at the component-level, helping keep pricing competitive with gas and hybrid counterparts. Volvo has said it intends to price the EX60 similarly to the XC60 plug-in hybrid, which currently starts at around $63,000.
Volvo is also offering a global 10-year battery warranty of up to 240,000 km for the first time. This extends the company’s coverage over the past eight years and, according to Krishnan, reflects confidence in its in-house battery development and manufacturing capabilities.
The EX60 will also have other tricks up its sleeve, including vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid functionality as standard across all markets and trims. Volvo has already announced a partnership with Swedish energy provider Vattenfall to explore how the EX60 and other Volvo EVs can help stabilize and balance the grid.
Krishnan sees the EX60 as a key piece that was missing from Volvo’s EV strategy: a family SUV that’s more affordable than the automaker’s three-row, $80,000-plus EX90. “So it’s a huge addressable market for the car,” he said.
The EX60 will be built at Volvo’s Gothenburg factory, with production starting in the first half of 2026.
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