Volvo recalls 10,500 electric cars in the UK over battery fire concerns
Volvo has initiated the global recall of more than 40,000 examples of one of its popular electric cars over battery fire concerns.
The Swedish car firm - which is synonymous with vehicle safety - had already issued a warning to owners of the £33,000 EX30 electric SUV in December to not charge them above 70 per cent due to 'fire risks'.
Drivers with Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance versions produced between 2024 and 2026 were told that charging the battery over this threshold could trigger overheating and lead to blazes in rare cases.
However, the brand has now instigated an official recall of all 40,323 examples sold across various markets to mitigate the issue.
Volvo Cars UK confirmed to Daily Mail and This is Money that 10,440 of these models are on Britain's roads.
A spokesperson for the car firm said: 'We will inspect and replace affected battery modules, free-of-charge, on all cars within the scope of the recall. We aim to fix all affected cars as soon as possible.'
The move, which will come at a significant cost to the car maker, could put a severe dent in the brand's reputation for vehicle safety.
Volvo has initiated a global recall of more than 40,000 examples of the electric EX30 SUV over battery fire concerns. The car maker told Daily Mail and This is Money that 10,440 UK cars are impacted
The EX30 versions affected use the 69kWh battery pack, which comprises nickel-manganese-cobalt modules.
Volvo had already informed owners that there had been some cases of battery cells overheating, which it warned could trigger a fire that spreads to the rest of the battery pack, and potentially cause the rest of the car to ignite.
With battery fires notoriously difficult to put out, owners were urged not to charge over 70 per cent as a safety barrier, stating that the chances of the 'rare issue happening is significantly reduced below this level of charge'.
However, disgruntled owners have complained that, on top of the risk their cars could go up in flames, it has made their expensive EVs less practical to use on a daily basis, with the restricted battery charge limiting the range available.
The Swedish car firm - which is synonymous with vehicle safety - had already issued a warning to owners of the £33,000 EX30 electric SUV in December to not charge them above 70 per cent due to 'fire risks'
Drivers with Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance versions produced between 2024 and 2026 were told that charging over the battery over the threshold it could overheat, leading to fire in rare cases
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A spokesperson for the Swedish manufacturer told Daily Mail and This is Money: 'Volvo Cars has initiated a recall campaign to fix the cars affected by the battery overheating issue affecting certain model year 2024-2026 EX30 Single Motor Extended Range and Twin Motor Performance cars, for which it issued a safety notice to affected customers in December last year.
'Our investigations have identified that in very rare cases, the battery in the affected vehicles can overheat when charged to a high level. In a worst-case scenario this could lead to a fire starting in the battery.
'To mitigate the safety risk in the meantime, we continue to ask all owners of affected cars to limit the maximum charge level of their car to 70 per cent until their battery modules have been inspected and replaced.
'We are now contacting the owners of affected cars to inform them of this update and to advise them of the next steps.
Volvo Cars' shares dipped by 4 per cent following the breaking news regarding the recall.
The recall, which will come at a significant cost to the car maker, could also put a severe dent in reputation for vehicle safety
Sam Fiorani, vice president for global vehicle forecasting at research firm AutoForecast Solutions, said the importance of the EX30 to Volvo - which was launched to go head-to-head with new Chinese EV rivals launching across Europe - means the car maker 'has to get it [the recall] right' to protect its long-standing reputation for safety.
This includes its optimistic 'Zero 2020' target, where it aims to have no recorded road deaths in its vehicles commencing from six years ago.
Andy Palmer, an industry veteran who as Nissan CEO oversaw the launch of the first 'mainstream' EV - the Leaf - in 2010 said Volvo has less room for missteps than rivals as its reputation for safety is central to its identity.
'Volvo can't afford a safety issue because that strikes at the heart of their brand,' he said.
Reuters reported that new replacement battery modules could cost Volvo $195million (approximately £144m), excluding logistics and repair costs at a time when its Chinese owner Geely has ordered a $1.9bn savings drive.
Volvo said the calculations were 'speculative in nature', and that the auto maker was in talks with its official battery supplier, Shandong Geely Sunwoda Power Battery Company, which is part of a joint venture with the parent group.
Matthew Owen an insurance agent who is one of the 10,440 UK owners of the EX30, said he chose the EV for its range and Volvo's safety reputation.
He told Reuters that Volvo must take responsibility for putting the issue right because it had 'produced a car that is dangerous'.
