The Volvo EX60, the test of The Fact The 810 km electric car that opens up a new era PHOTO

Volvo has unveiled its new EX60 electric vehicle, which the Swedish automaker describes as a game-changer and marks the beginning of a new era in electrification. The car was tested by Il Fatto Quotidiano, an Italian newspaper, which highlighted its impressive range of up to 810 kilometers on a single charge. This launch comes amid growing efforts by Volvo to increase its presence in Italy's slow-moving but increasingly supported electric vehicle market. The EX60 is part of Volvo’s broader strategy to boost its share of fully electric vehicles in Italy. According to Michele Crisci, CEO of Volvo Cars Italia, the company aims to reach 25 percent of its total registrations with pure-electric models by year-end, up from the current 16.5 percent. That figure already doubles the national average, which stood at around 8 percent in early 2026. The growth is being supported by an expanding charging infrastructure, with approximately 80,000 charging points spread over 25,000 stations across the country, surpassing the number of gasoline stations by 1,000. The EX60 offers three key advantages. First, it features an 800-volt architecture available across the entire lineup, enabling fast charging rates of up to 370 kilowatts. This allows drivers to add more than 300 kilometers of range in just ten minutes, or go from 10 to 80 percent battery charge in 19 minutes. Second, the vehicle boasts an extended range, with the top-tier P12 AWD variant offering up to 810 kilometers. Other variants include the P6 with 374 horsepower and a 83-kWh battery capable of up to 611 kilometers, and the P10 AWD with 510 horsepower and a 95-kWh battery providing 660 kilometers. All versions are available in Plus and Ultra trim levels. Third, the pricing starts at €65,350 for the P6, aligning with the XC60 plug-in hybrid. Another notable feature is the EX60’s advanced computing system called HunginCore, which can perform up to 250 trillion operations per second. This makes the EX60 the smartest Volvo yet, developed in collaboration with Nvidia, Qualcomm Technologies, and Google. The car is described as a "software-defined" vehicle, emphasizing its reliance on cutting-edge technology for performance and user experience. Externally, the EX60 retains Volvo’s signature elegance, featuring clean lines, the Thor’s Hammer light signature, a grilleless front end, and shark-fin door handles integrated into the window frames. Inside, the cabin follows a minimalist Nordic design, divided into four distinct zones with specific colors and sustainable materials. The test vehicle featured a Dawn gray-brown interior inspired by the early morning lights of Scandinavian mornings, epitomizing the essence of Volvo interiors. Inside the cockpit, a 11.4-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15-inch central display manage nearly all functions of the car, from mirror adjustments to steering wheel settings, climate control, and driving modes. These controls require some adjustment period for users accustomed to traditional interfaces. The vehicle also includes Google Gemini, which is standard and capable of natural language interaction, performing complex tasks such as automatically retrieving hotel addresses from emails or checking whether a purchase will fit in the trunk. The trunk capacity ranges from 523 to 1,647 liters, complemented by a practical front trunk. The EX60 is also noted as having the lowest carbon footprint among Volvos, matching the smallest EX30 model. This achievement results from using 27 percent recycled materials, the Mega Casting technique that replaces hundreds of parts with a single aluminum casting, and the Cell-to-Body technology, which reduces weight by 70 kilograms, increases energy density by 20 percent, improves charging speed by 15 percent, and cuts battery production emissions by 40 percent. A test drive from Bologna to the Val di Comacchio via the Argine Agosta seemed almost symbolic of this philosophy, leading to a protected oasis, highlighting the balance between technological advancement and environmental responsibility.