In freezing Sweden, to dispel one of the most widespread fake news on electric cars

Traveling in silence helps you discover an area slowly.But also to reflect on legends and false myths.In Sweden, to understand (on board a Volvo EX30) if the cold is really an enemy for the electric car.

The last time we told you about Sweden it was to tell you about a village, Nikkaluokta, Norrbotten county, which went from -42.9 to +8.3 degrees in just 72 hours, a thrilling record.It was last January and what prompted us to give you the news was that sudden change in temperature, which in the space of just three days had led to an increase of over 50 degrees centigrade.Another case to be archived among the now recurring effects of climate changes…

But Sweden has other records, certainly more virtuous:present for years among the 5 countries, all concentrated in Northern Europe, with the highest percentage of electric cars sold, is ready to host the first stretch of electrified road, part of the project, in 2025 Electric road system, which promises to offer electric vehicles (cars and trucks) the ability to recharge on the move through induction.One perspective, that of wireless charging, at all remote and that Volvo has been experimenting for some time in Sweden, a Gothenburg.

Swedish Lapland seen from the EX30 electric vehicle

Meanwhile, we returned to the Scandinavian country (this time aboard a new electric car Volvo EX30) for a “zero” emissions trip, destination Lulea, the gateway to Swedish Lapland, at the center of the largest brackish water archipelago in the world.Objective?Well, in addition to the hope of seeing the Northern Lights (which we didn't manage to see...), as well as telling you how it goes and what the new electric Volvo offers, also to debunk one of the most widespread fake news on electric mobility, i.e. that electric cars don't work in the cold, an aspect that we will clarify immediately:from the point of view of operation, at any temperature, nothing changes.

Performance doesn't change either.If anything, energy consumption increases, theautonomy.You just need to know.And anyway, when there are prohibitive temperatures outside (and in Sweden the freezing cold is anything but unusual in winter) how nice it is to get into an electric car which, taking advantage of the possibility of preheating the passenger compartment, welcomes you with a warm warmth?It happens on the EX30, one of the numerous advantages offered by the electric car.

A slow and silent journey

Having clarified the (peaceful) relationship between cold and electric cars, the journey to Sweden (slow and silent) allowed us not only to enjoy the scenery of the far north, one of the best places in the world to experience the emotion of the Northern Lights , thanks to the clear skies and the lack of light pollution, but also to discover the characteristics of this compact electric SUV, the fourth "zero" emission model proposed by Volvo.Let's see a first portrait of him.The EX30 is available with two battery variants, the first more accessible (51 kWh) and suitable for the city and short trips, the second with a more complex battery and extended autonomy up to 480 kilometers.In addition, there is the version Twin motor performance, which combines with the best performing battery, 2 electric motors and the all-wheel drive, a feature which on Swedish roads allowed us (also thanks to studded tyres, very common in Northern European countries) to drive in complete safety.

Less is more…

A long, slow, silent journey to Sweden aboard the EX30.And for this reason it allowed us to make considerations that sometimes we don't have time to make.By changing his mind.Let's explain better.The EX30 is a compact electric vehicle (4 meters and 23 centimetres, the most compact model ever built by Volvo), in clear contrast to that "gigantism of the car” which is also affecting electric models, with the risk of compromising their efficiency.A car that is simple at first glance, perhaps too simple:the electric window buttons are in the center of the front seats (and not on the doors), the speakers concentrated in one soundbar under the windscreen, the instrumentation in front of the driver that we are used to is not there, in its place a simple display in the center of the dashboard.The fabrics (denim, linen, wool), the plastics, the colors, everything has a "minimal" appearance that is surprising at first. Less is more, as the architect liked to repeat Mies van der Rohe, father of rationalism and one of the major exponents, together with the French Le Corbusier, of modernism.

It's okay, that on a car for every need you have to resort to a screen that actually contains everything seems like an excess at first.Then, as the kilometers pass, while the snowy landscapes pass by slowly outside, with a minimum of familiarity everything appears clearer.The EX30 needs time to understand some aspects, which then become daily, practical, quick gestures.A car apparently free of complexity which, thanks to the design, inspired by Nordic minimalism, over time becomes familiar, capable of reassuring, almost of instilling calm.A theme, that of driving serenity, than with the project Mobility Revolution at LifeGate we have considered for years one of the most rewarding aspects of a car, electric or not, together with emissions, impact on the ground, up to the entire life cycle, from production to end of life.

The Swedes' sense of light

If you have already been to Sweden you will certainly have noticed:every window in the house has a lamp which, when darkness falls, turns on, creating an atmosphere to which the people of the North are very sensitive.Light in countries like Sweden where the hours of sunshine in winter are greatly reduced has a deeper meaning.Well, perhaps in Volvo they exaggerated with the suggestions on this matter ("the warm light of the sun filtering through the leaves of a Scandinavian forest, a sunset on the Swedish west coast, the golden sky of the Swedish summer..."), names that seem plus the titles of a film of Woody Allen than the shades of the interior lighting of a car.But we are increasingly convinced of one thing:as the kilometers pass, the EX30 is less and less "simple" and more and more "reassuring".

Inside the floor is flat, the space exploited with numerous storage compartments.In the trunk there are even measurements to understand whether or not we can take home the inevitable Billy bookcase from Ikea.But it is a legitimate thought that all this simplicity is actually an exercise to reduce costs.And what if it were?Whether to reduce the use of materials, whether to resort tocircular economy (as we will see shortly), were new tools to design the car more efficiently, as taught byecodesign?

Among dense birch forests and red-painted cottages

Meanwhile, between one reflection and another, our trip to Sweden aboard the EX30 continues.Of theNorthern Lights, of the magic of those brilliant green, red, blue and purple waves that seem to dance in the dark sky, the result of solar particles interacting with the Earth's atmosphere, not even a shadow.Sin.The journey passes in silence, broken only by the buzz of studded tyres, often on secondary roads, through thick birch forests, the rare villages (like Gammelstad, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO), frozen lakes and the typical cottages painted red with white windows.

A reflection, traveling in an electric car in Sweden... Fuel here costs a lot (on average 2.3 euros per litre), one more reason to choose the electric car which in the Nordic country can be recharged anywhere thanks to the infrastructure Chargefinder.We were saying beforecircular economy.During our journey we often spoke about these aspects with the Volvo designers, who explained to us how on the EX30 the objective was to combine design, Nordic craftsmanship and sustainability, especially in interiors, with the use of denim obtained from discarded jeans, recycled plastic from old window frames, linen and fibers composed of polyester, wool and PET.

Still doubts about the sustainability of the electric car?

Those who have been reading us for a long time know that at LifeGate we are used to looking deeply into the car.But we also know that doubts about the true sustainability of an electric car, unfortunately, persist.So we suggest you read here, to understand how investigating the entire life cycle of an electric car could represent a journey within a journey, not on board, but inside the car;you will see it, it is a complex document full of data, but don't be impressed, scroll through it carefully, because this is where you will discover what efforts the automotive industry is making to reduce carbon footprint of a car (i.e. the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated directly or indirectly with any product), from the extraction and processing of raw materials until the end of its use. Take the time to read, you will see, many things about the electric car (and specifically about the Volvo EX30) will appear clearer to you.And “circulars”.