At Risk of Fire, This Model Volvo Car Must Be Parked in Open Areas

The Volvo EX30 electric car. (Photo: Volvo)

JAKARTA - Owners of the 2025 model year Volvo EX30 are asked to be more vigilant when parking their vehicles, especially at night. Volvo officially issued a call for the compact electric SUV to be parked in an open area and away from buildings.

This follows the discovery of potential problems in high-voltage batteries that could trigger a fire risk, as reported by Arena EV, Saturday, January 17. This warning was confirmed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The agency noted that the high-voltage battery on some EX30 units is at risk of overheating (overheating) which leads to short circuits. As a result, it increases the possibility of a fire, even when the car is not in use.

Volvo explained that the root of the problem comes from certain battery cells. Under certain conditions, chemical reactions in the battery can cause the growth of a small layer called "lithium plating".

This growth can cause internal short circuits and become a source of danger. As a temporary preventive measure, Volvo asks owners to limit charging to a maximum of 70 percent.

By keeping the battery level not too high, the battery temperature is considered easier to control while waiting for a permanent solution from the manufacturer. Unlike the previous recall involving hundreds of thousands of vehicles due to camera problems, this battery-related recall targets a much smaller number.

In the United States, there are 40 Volvo EX30 2025 units affected, namely vehicles produced in the range of September 6, 2024 to October 25, 2025. Or more than 33 thousand in the world, and all batteries on the unit are known to be supplied by China's Sunwoda Power Battery Company.

If indications of a problem appear, the driver will receive a warning on the screen in the form of a message that the battery is too hot. The Volvo EX30 itself is a compact crossover that is positioned as Volvo's entry point into the more affordable electric vehicle market.

This model has a length of 4,233 mm, a width of 1,940 mm, and a height of 1,555 mm. In terms of performance, the EX30 offers two options. The single-motor version produces 268 hp, while the dual-motor variant reaches 422 hp and can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 3.6 seconds.

Currently, Volvo is still studying repair solutions, whether through replacement of battery components or simply by updating the software. Owners can check the status of their vehicles through the VIN number on the official recall website starting January 26, while official notification letters are scheduled to be sent on February 23.

Although this issue has raised concerns, Volvo said that so far there have been no reports of injuries or accidents in the US that have been linked to the battery problem. For information, the EX30 is equipped with a 69 kWh battery with a claimed range of up to 442 km on a full charge for the most efficient trim.

Meanwhile, Sunwoda Electronic Co. Chairman Wang Wei officially responded to reports about the recall of the Volvo EX30 electric vehicle due to battery safety issues. According to him, the battery pack was not supplied by Sunwonda.

"The battery pack is actually provided by the factories in the Volvo system itself," he said as quoted in the CarNewsChina broadcast.

He said that the battery cells were produced by a joint venture between Geely and Sunwoda (Shandong Geely Sunwoda Co., Ltd.), but Sunwoda only held a minority stake of 30 percent in this joint venture.