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Image of EX60.
Kristin Shaw
Image of EX60.
Kristin Shaw
A closer look at the buttresses.
Kristin Shaw
A closer look at the buttresses.
Kristin Shaw
EX60 body, with megacasting on the bottom.
Kristin Shaw
EX60 body, with megacasting on the bottom.
Kristin Shaw
A closer look at the buttresses.
Kristin Shaw
EX60 body, with megacasting on the bottom.
Kristin Shaw
Volvo engine expert Mats Brodin says the rear floor is made from 50 percent recycled aluminum collected from aftermarket parts. He describes himself as a “megacasting engineer,” combining the Volvo EV with architectural design.
The chip is made of aluminum alloyed with ultra-thin silicon and is forced into the megacast machine in about 90 milliseconds, Brodin says. Then it takes a minute to dry. With two megacasting machines on site at its Torslanda plant, near Volvo’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden, EX60s are ready to roll off the line quickly.
Volvo is using megacasting wisely. For example, if a car is involved in an accident and the diecast piece is damaged, it can be limited, as it cannot be easily repaired. That’s why it makes sense that Volvo megacast one back down side and not big.
The EX60 is the first Volvo car to use megacasting, so although it seems new, the process has been going on since at least 2022. The company invested 10 billion Swedish kronor-about $1.1 billion-in the production area, including large pieces of megacasting.
The combination of a smart battery and a very efficient one-pedal drive
The EX60 will use a similar battery design and the BMW iX3 or Tesla Model Y; Volvo says the EX60 will have a “cell-to-body” battery. Unlike conventional EVs with heavy battery packs (like the GMC Hummer EV, for example), the EX60’s battery cells are integrated directly into its body.
Basically, the battery pack sits under the car. This provides weight and packing efficiency and opens up a lot of cabin space. Most importantly for an EV, it reduces weight, which makes a difference. It’s all part of Volvo’s new SPA3 platform, designed for EVs.
During testing in and around Barcelona, , Spain, the EX60 performed very well in single-car driving, controlling the car’s rehabilitation load. I didn’t touch the brakes on the twisty roads outside the city, settling for EV mode. I’ve never been a big fan of single pedal drives because most of them are clunky and hard to get used to; not so in the EX60.
