Ars drives the new Volvo EX60: Moose-proof and megacasting
▼ Summary
– Volvo unveiled the all-electric EX60 in January, the first model on its new SPA3 platform designed for a range of future EVs.
– The EX60 offers up to 400 miles of range, faster charging than other Volvos, and uses megacasting, 800V charging, and cell-to-body battery integration.
– The 2027 EX60 starts at $59,795 for the P6 Plus and goes up to $68,745 for the P10 AWD Ultra, with a more powerful P12 planned.
– Volvo moose-proofed the EX60 by testing every model with a life-size, 800-pound rubber moose crash test dummy.
– Moose are serious traffic hazards in Sweden due to their high density, and Volvo ensures its cars are prepared for head-on collisions with them.
BARCELONA, Spain,When Volvo pulled the wraps off its fully electric EX60 back in January, it marked a turning point for the company. This is the first vehicle built on the dedicated SPA3 platform, a scalable architecture designed exclusively for EVs that Volvo will use as the foundation for a whole family of future models.
The numbers are impressive. With a projected range of up to 400 miles (643 km) and faster charging than any previous Volvo EV, the EX60 carries significant weight for the brand’s electric ambitions. But what really sets this SUV apart is how it’s made. Volvo has overhauled its entire production process for the EX60, introducing a technique called megacasting that turns molten aluminum into a single, lightweight structural piece. The vehicle also features 800-volt architecture and cell-to-body integration, where the battery cells themselves become part of the vehicle’s load-bearing structure, embedded directly into the floor and walls.
The broader EV market may feel uncertain, especially in the United States, but automakers with committed electric programs are pushing ahead. Volvo launched the compact EX30 in late 2023 only to discontinue it this year amid shifting trade policies and tariffs. Meanwhile, the three-row EX90 continues alongside the new EX60. Pricing for the 2027 EX60 starts at $59,795 for the entry-level P6 Plus and climbs to $68,745 for the P10 AWD Ultra, which delivers more power and longer range. A P12 variant with even greater performance is already in the pipeline.
Inside, Volvo sticks with its signature minimalist interior design, clean and uncluttered. But the real headline here is something far more Nordic: Volvo moose-proofed this EV.
Built for the moose test
Sweden’s largest land mammal is the moose, and the country has the highest moose density in the world. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Scandinavia’s moose population density is about 3.5 times greater than Alaska’s. That matters because a full-grown moose can weigh half a ton, and collisions are a serious hazard, especially at dawn and dusk.
Volvo takes this threat so seriously that it moose-tests every single model using a life-size rubber crash test dummy that weighs nearly 800 pounds. That’s right: every Volvo is engineered to survive a head-on collision with a massive moose, and the EX60 is no exception.
(Source: Ars Technica)
