More than 10,000 electric cars in the UK have been recalled amid fears the battery could overheat and cause a vehicle fire.
Volvo has announced the recall of 10,440 of its EX30 electric vehicles in the UK, with a further 30,000 recalled worldwide.
It warns that the High Voltage Battery Cell could overheat and lead to a fire after charging in affected vehicles.
Volvo said it was “confident” that limiting the battery’s maximum state of charge to 70 per cent would “eliminate the risk of overheating”.
As part of the recall, Volvo confirmed that the investigation into the issue is still ongoing with a final service solution being deployed.
It instructed motorists not to leave their vehicles unattended when charging within buildings or covered areas.
Drivers should seek assistance if any warnings appear in the car or app during or after charging.
Motorists are also instructed to contact their local Volvo dealership or manufacturer to see if their vehicle is included in the recall.
The Volvo EX30 has an issue that could lead to the battery overheating and causing a fire | VOLVO
As with almost all vehicle recalls, drivers will not need to pay anything to have their vehicles fixed or updated.
Speaking to the BBC’s Big Boss Interview podcast, Nicole Melillo Shaw, managing director of Volvo UK, explained that a “tiny percentage” of EX30s have caught fire around the world.
She said: “I completely empathise with anyone who’s experienced this.
“We have a proportion of our EX30 cars that have had risk of catching fire when they’ve been charged beyond 70 per cent.
Volvo is recalling more than 10,000 EX30 models
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REUTERS
“So as a safety brand and safety being our top priority, we have advised customers not to charge beyond 70 per cent until we find a fix.”
Ms Melillo Shaw said it was “quite scary” for a motorist to be told that their vehicle could be at risk of catching fire.
She also acknowledged that it was “very inconvenient” for drivers to only charge their electric vehicles to 70 per cent.
The UK managing director confirmed that Volvo was working intensely on a remedy for the issue, adding that it now has a solution.
Some Volvo EX30 electric SUV models could be at risk of a battery fire | VOLVO
She continued, saying: “We’ve been working really hard and quickly to get to a solution, which we now have.
“We found the root cause, and I expect next week to be able to get those cars in and start to fix them.
“We are going to contact the customers who’ve had that issue to then look at how we fix the battery modules.”
While there is no timeline for the fix, Ms Melillo Shaw clarified that there had not been any fatalities related to the overheating batteries.