Volvo identifies battery fire risk in EX30 Ultra EVs; owners told to limit charging to 70%
[SINGAPORE] Some 143 owners of the Volvo EX30 Ultra electric car in Singapore are being advised not to charge their vehicles beyond 70 per cent due to a fire risk linked to a battery defect.
This is an interim solution while Volvo develops a permanent fix.
The Swedish carmaker said it will notify affected owners once a permanent solution is available and advise them if a physical recall is required.
Globally, 33,777 vehicles are affected by this issue.
About 0.02 per cent of these cars – which works out to around seven units – have been reported to have caught fire, although no injuries were reported, Volvo said in a statement to The Straits Times.
There have been no reported incidents in Singapore so far.
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A spokesperson for Wearnes Automotive, Volvo’s distributor in Singapore, said: “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.”
The issue affects specifically the 200kW version of the EX30, commonly referred to as the Category B COE model, and not the 110kW version, which is also sold here.
Wearnes Automotive is currently sending notification letters to affected customers. Owners can also contact their service consultants or call the Volvo Service Centre on 6473-1488 for assistance.
The affected vehicles fall under the MY24 and MY25 series.
MY24 and MY25 refer to the versions of the cars rather than their production periods or sale dates. Typically, production of a MY25 model starts in late 2024.
Volvo stressed that only some vehicles from these two series are affected.
The Volvo EX30 Ultra was launched in Singapore in the first half of 2024.
Volvo posted the notification on the Land Transport Authority’s electronic vehicle recall system on Dec 30. It said “investigations have identified that in very rare cases, overheating of the high-voltage battery cells may occur at high battery charge levels. If this happens, a warning message stating HV-Battery overheating will occur”.
Similar notifications are under way globally. There are 10,440 units of the car in Britain, 2,815 in Australia and 40 in the US.
As part of China’s Geely automotive group, the Volvo EX30 shares components with other brands, including the Zeekr X, which is also sold in Singapore.
Zeekr’s agent in Singapore, Premium Automobiles BEV, told ST on Jan 13 that the Zeekr X is not affected by the recall because it uses a different battery. THE STRAITS TIMES
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