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Volvo will issue world's first EV battery passport ahead of EU rules for 2027

LONDON — Volvo Cars is launching the world's first EV battery passport recording the origins of raw materials, components, recycled content and carbon footprint for its flagship EX90 SUV, which is about to start production, the Swedish automaker told Reuters. The passport was developed by Volvo, which is owned by China's Geely, in partnership with UK startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies, and took over five years to develop. Battery passports will be mandatory for electric vehicles (EVs) sold in the European Union from February 2027 showing the composition of batteries, including the origin of key materials, their carbon footprint and recycled content. Volvo's head of global sustainability Vanessa Butani told Reuters that introducing the passport nearly three years before regulations kick in was aimed at being transparent with car buyers as the automaker targets producing only fully-electric cars by 2030. "It's really important for us to be a pioneer and a leader," Butani said. The EX90 SUV with a battery passport is due to start production soon at Volvo's plant in Charleston, South Carolina, and will be delivered to customers in Europe and North America from the second half of the year. Volvo owners can access a simplified version of the passport using a QR code on the inside of the driver's door. Butani said the passport would be gradually rolled out to all of Volvo's EVs. A more complete version of the passport will be passed to regulators. It will also include up-to-date information on the EV battery's state of health - vital for assessing used EV values - for 15 years and will Volvo cost around $10 per car, Circulor CEO Douglas Johnson-Poensgen told Reuters. Circulor's system traces battery materials from the mine to individual cars, piggybacking on suppliers' production systems to track materials throughout the supply chain and checking suppliers' monthly energy bills - and how much of their energy comes from renewable sources in order to calculate a total carbon footprint. If Volvo brings on board a supplier, Circulor will need to audit it to keep information current, Johnson-Poensgen said. The passport has also required changes in how Volvo traces parts through its manufacturing process to understand the origins of every part in every vehicle. "Car manufacturing has never been about which rock went into which component and which got connected to which car," Johnson-Poensgen said.

2025 Volvo EX30 revealed: quick, cute EV at $36K

MILAN — The Volvo EX30 seems like a relatively straightforward EV. But dig a little deeper and you'll find this electric crossover is kind of a big deal. Making its debut in Milan, Italy, on Wednesday, the 2025 EX30 is Volvo's smallest SUV, yet it's also the company's quickest production car ever — by a long shot. Priced from $36,145 including an $1,195 destination charge, the EX30 will be the least expensive model in Volvo's U.S. lineup when it arrives next year. It'll even spawn Volvo's first fully electric Cross Country offering, which we can't wait to see. The EX30's styling cues are pulled straight from the larger EX90 electric SUV, giving it a tough-li'l-guy vibe that's both cute and purposeful. I love the pronounced wheel arches and the two-tone look. You can totally see how, with more ground clearance and some cladding, this EV will easily morph into the EX30 Cross Country that's coming next year. At 166.7 inches long, 72.3 inches wide and 61.1 inches tall, the EX30 is seriously small — about the same size as a Hyundai Kona — giving it a healthy amount of daylight from Volvo's larger, more expensive XC40 Recharge. The upright dimensions will no doubt help with headroom for front and rear passengers, and Volvo says there's 31.9 cubic feet of cargo space, which is good but not great for this class. Step inside the EX30 and the first thing you'll notice is that the SUV's digital real estate is limited to a single central screen, powered by Google software. Absolutely everything looks to be buried in the screen — except for things like the wiper controls, thank goodness — but I'm hopeful that Volvo learned from Tesla's mistakes and keeps the control layout relatively simple. There seems to be a fixed row of climate control icons along the bottom of the vertical display, at least. Five different ambient lighting themes will be offered, which shift in color, "adding a sense of calm," according to Volvo. In typical Scandinavian fashion, the EX30's cabin is super handsome, crafted with sustainable materials that look and feel premium. When it arrives in the U.S., the EX30 will be offered with two powertrain options, both of which rely on a 69-kilowatt-hour cobalt-lithium-manganese-nickel composite battery, 64 kWh of which is usable. The base model, called Single Motor Extended Range, will have a rear-wheel-drive layout and produce 268 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. Volvo expects this version to have a range of 275 miles on the U.S.

Best 3rd Row SUVs of 2024

If you plan on using a vehicle's third row a lot, let us at least make the suggestion that a minivan would be a smarter bet than anything you're going to see on this list of best three-row SUVs. Their third rows are bigger, more comfortable and easier to get to. The kids will definitely be happier. Here are our two top choices.  OK, now that that's out of the way, we totally get why minivans are totally depressing and that if the kids want to be happier, they can buy their own darn vehicle. You're buying, you're driving, you're being seen in it and you'd rather have a three-row SUV. Fair enough. Luckily, there are more choices than ever and they're really good. The best do a particularly good job of being family friendly without looking like a drab transportation appliance, although really, you can't go wrong with any of the mainstream three-row SUVs. Now, some of the luxury choices are a bit suspect, including those that are otherwise very appealing but have cramped third-row seats (the Genesis GV80 comes to mind). We're focusing on three-row SUVs here, so having a usable third row is a must.   In this list, we have broken things down into four sub-categories: Best Three-Row Crossover |  Best Full-size Three-Row SUV Best Luxury Three-Row SUV |  Best Flagship Luxury Three-Row SUV Note that we define crossovers as SUVs since most buyers use the terms interchangeably, but acknowledge that "crossover" is literally a vehicle with a car-like unibody structure as opposed to the truck-like, body-on-frame construction that traditionally has defined "SUV." In other words, we consider all crossovers SUVs, but not all SUVs are crossovers (specifically those in the full-size segment and some in the flagship luxury segment). Best Three-Row Crossover SUVs of 2024 2024 Honda Pilot Why it stands out: Exceptional storage and cargo space; unique second-row functionality; refined ride; versatile and capable TrailSport; advanced AWDCould be better: Subpar acceleration with lackadaisical transmission and engine response; so-so driver assistance tech Read our full 2024 Honda Pilot Review The Honda Pilot was completely redesigned for 2023. It maintains its predecessor's family friendly packaging and overall focus, but it has injected a welcome sense of style (especially in the TrailSport pictured above) that makes it stand out much better from the big crossover crowd.