Driving Impressions & Storage Test
I recently had an Australian Volvo EX30 SMER Ultra media review loan car for a week (running software 1.4.2).
Credit is due to Volvo for making the EX30 with lots of recycled materials and achieving the lowest carbon footprint of any fully electric Volvo car.
I thought it was an excellent EV to drive, with a short length that helped navigate through traffic and find parking spaces in the Inner West of Sydney.
I missed not having the full OPD experience but understand that mid strength regen braking is preferred by a lot of people transitioning from an ICE car.
I also thought that the EX30 could have had about quite a bit more range if the power was reduced by about 10% and smaller 18″ inch tyres were an option.
As I explain in the video below I think Volvo’s choice of Android Automotive built-in is very smart because it means the EX30 has a gold standard EV Route and Charging planner as good as Tesla.
I missed not having a driver info display in front of me, some of the fonts in the central screen were quite small.
However I understand that is likely the Volvo EX30 appeals to relatively well off, mostly city driving buyers who bought it because of the minimal exterior, instead of a Tesla to avoid the “Musk factor”.
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Volvo EX30 Australia Owner FAQ
After returning the car to Volvo, I asked the Volvo EX30 Owners Australia owners group what their top questions were and I passed these onto my media contact at Volvo Car Group Australia.
To Volvo’s credit I received answers to all the questions in less than 2 weeks. They are quoted as follows:
Question 1: Australian EX30 owners would like to tow but cannot because there is no wiring fit-out. Is this something your team is working on and if Yes when do you anticipate it will be available for existing Australian owners as well as factory fitted in newly sold vehicles?
Answer 1:
“Volvo Cars typically provides towing solutions for our model range. To date the EX30 does not have a Volvo Cars approved towbar. A solution is being sought. No firm date to report”.
Question 2: Does Volvo Australia keep a sufficient quantity of spare parts within the country for EX30 items that commonly require replacement after accidents eg windshield, wing mirrors etc or do you ship them from overseas as required?
Answer 2:
“Volvo Cars keeps a sufficient / adequate quantity of spare parts for all of our models represented in Australia”.
Question 3: Is there any possibility that the OPD can be improved via OTA update to have different strength levels eg: current medium strength Default and a Stronger braking option for a shorter stopping distance?
Answer 3:
“There is no plan to change the current functionality, at this stage. The benefit of Over The Air updates is if there is a change owners would / will get a notification via the software”.
Question 4: Some owners tell me that if they enable Performance mode and OPD is On, there is no apparent regen braking. Is this by design or can it be fixed with an OTA update?
Answer 4:
“Yes, this is by design. As the car is in Performance Mode. One Pedal Drive not considered as Performance Mode function.”
Question 5: Several people have reported issues with EX30 software updates – they don’t arrive or they only partially download and then stop. Will this process be made more reliable soon?
Answer 5:
“We encourage the owners with the reported issue to contact their local retailer to talk through the specifics. To date, we have no locally logged issues. Retail contact is vital to understand the reports”.
Question 6: Many owners report that their Fob is inconsistent and frustrating to use. If they walk towards their EX30 from a distance the car unlocks when 2-3m away. However if they stand near their EX30 for a while it doesn’t unlock when approached. Can this be improved for existing owners either through OTA update or a new keyfob with buttons?
Answer 6: was mostly a quote from a Volvo Support page Limitation of the distance-capable EX30 key tag
A. “If a distance-capable EX30 key tag is in close proximity to the parked car for a longer period of time, the connection between the key tag and the car will go into standby mode”.
“The reason behind this is to avoid unauthorised access to the car and to preserve battery lifetime. When the car is in standby mode, the approach and leave function will be turned off. This means that the welcome lights sequence will not be triggered as you approach the car”.
“You also need to pull the driver door handle or push the button on the boot hatch to unlock the car. Sometimes the car may be slower to respond and could take a few seconds to open”.
B. “No aware of any plans however highlighting the benefit of this feature and of Over The Air software owner notifications”.
Question 7: Can radio reception quality be improved with OTA software update? This may have been resolved with OTA 1.4.2 but not all owners have this yet
Answer 7: As I expected this issue should be lessened/resolved once all Australian EX30 owners receive OTA update 1.4.2
“Resolved / improved via the recent Over The Updates”.
Question 8: How soon will the digital key functionality be available for EX30 owners?
Answer 8:
“It is Volvo Cars intention to still bring the digital key to market however a time frame has not been defined, just as yet. Happy to keep you updated / in the loop”.
Please let me know about any other common issues with Volvo EX30 electric cars in Australia. If I think that Volvo will answer queries about these issues I will chase them up for you.
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