Upcoming Volvo EX60 Will Go Farther Than Mercedes GLC or Tesla Model Y

Ahead of its official unveiling later this month, Volvo has offered us a tantalizing teaser of its upcoming midsize electric crossover, the EX60. With an automaker-estimated range of 640 km per charge, the new model will be Volvo’s longest-range electric vehicle (EV) ever and should have the best range figures in its class.

For comparison, the longest-range version of the industry’s yardstick, the Tesla Model Y, can only go 575 km per charge. Meanwhile, more recent competition from Germany, such as the Mercedes GLC 400 with EQ Technology, which can go 480 km per charge, will also be bested by the new Swede. In North America, the EX60’s range figure will be tied with the longest-range version of BMW’s new iX3, but in Europe, Volvo is promising a few more kilometres of driving range.

No matter which way you cut it, the upcoming EX60 will be a long-distance EV and 640 km of range is enough to drive from Calgary to Edmonton and back on a single charge, with enough range left over to actually see the sights in Edmonton while you’re there.

Although Volvo has yet to reveal how big the battery that underpins the EX60 will be, it says the massive range figures are facilitated by clever manufacturing (larger steel castings cut weight while integrating the battery directly into the chassis) and smart tech. In-house developed software manages battery energy as efficiently as possible while driving and advanced algorithms help the car manage incoming energy when charging.

Indeed, Volvo promises that its high-tech software and the EX60’s 800-volt architecture will allow it to recoup as many as 240 km of range in as little as 10 minutes at a 400 kW fast-charging station.

The EX60 looks set to beat its competition in another way, too. Although Volvo has not officially revealed this yet, a teaser image showing the cargo area floor suggests that the crossover may be available with a third row of seats, allowing it to seat two more passengers than the any of the above-mentioned vehicles, and making good on EVs’ promise of increasing interior volume following thanks to smaller powertrains.

The EX60 will also be the first vehicle to feature Volvo’s latest safety innovation: smart seatbelts. The new tech uses sensors to measure occupant weight and size in order to better protect them in a crash. The technology isn’t just more effective, it’s more equitable, too, relying less on information gathered from crash test dummies (which are modelled after adult men) to protect more body shapes, including women and children.

Headline-grabbing technology will be a big deal not just for the success of the EX60, but for Volvo, too. The automaker suffered a bit of a misstep with the launch the range-topping EX90. Featuring some of the most advanced driver assistance tech in the industry and impressive luxury, the larger SUV looked promising, but significant tech and usability flaws left it feeling half baked. Small sales figures and an ongoing tariff tiff between Canada and the U.S., where the EX90 is assembled, mean that the vehicle is no longer offered on the northern side of the border.

We’ll see what else Volvo has planned for the upcoming EX60 when it is fully unveiled on January 21.