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How Volvo is going greener, according to sustainability chief Henrik Green

STOCKHOLM — This week, Volvo unveiled its new flagship electric vehicle, the EX90 three-row SUV. ItÂ’s not just a look at a product weÂ’ll see come to market in 2024, but a glimpse at the approach Volvo is taking to become more sustainable as it aims to go all-electric by 2030 and carbon-neutral by 2040. After the unveiling of the EX90, we had the opportunity to speak with Henrik Green, VolvoÂ’s advanced technology and sustainability officer, as part of a roundtable discussion about the brandÂ’s climate strategy moving forward. Part of the strategy is accountability and transparency. In an industry where sensitive materials like cobalt and lithium can be environmentally, socially and geopolitically problematic, traceability is paramount. Volvo will use blockchain technology — the same sort of secure ledger tech that makes cryptocurrency possible — to trace cobalt, lithium and nickel from their very origins in the earth all the way to the EX90s that roll off the factory floor. Green said he expects that traceability to expand to more materials, but those three are what Volvo can commit to today. Green also predicts a time when “you as a consumer should be able to see, ‘Here, in my app, this is the car I bought, this is where my nickel came from thatÂ’s in my car.’” While step one is improving transparency, “the next step is — this is much more long-term — how can we affect the industry to source from the most sustainable sources as possible?” And that leads us to recycling. A circular economy is the goal, where raw materials are used minimally, replaced by materials sourced from old cars, batteries, electronics and the like. But that depends on the first generations of electric cars fulfilling their lifecycles before they can be recycled. And obviously the better the longevity of products like batteries, the longer this will take. “Unfortunately, it has this built-in time lag of putting batteries out there that live until they need to be replaced, and then we will get the material back.” Partners are beginning to scout for those recyclable materials from sources like non-automotive electronics, “but the massive volume of car batteries will not be accessible until these cars have been on the road 10, 15 or more years.” But recyclability is one of the main factors Volvo looks for when partnering with companies like Northvolt, with whom Volvo is building a factory and R&D center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

2020 Volvo S60 T8 Long-Term Review Wrap-Up | Final verdict

Twelve months of motoring in the 2020 Volvo S60 T8 went by quickly. Our time in Volvo’s sharp, plug-in hybrid sedan is over, and itÂ’s time for a final verdict. The S60 saw two entirely different worlds in its time with us. We took delivery in normal days — you know, pre-global pandemic — but most of its tenure here was in a Covid-19 world. That being the case, it didnÂ’t get out and travel the country as much as our long-term test vehicles normally do. Prior to getting locked down, our S60 took trips to Chicago, Buffalo, the northern reaches of Michigan and elsewhere in the region. Even once its extended driveway sessions began, we snuck it away once to the East Coast for a quick back-and-forth summer trip. We limited our car swaps to once a month in an effort to stay away from each other on staff and keep each other safe. That meant that each of us got to spend longer stints than usual in the driverÂ’s seat — our normal routine wouldnÂ’t have encouraged this behavior pre-coronavirus. It was more like a true ownership experience, which is exactly what we aim to convey with long-term tests. We plugged it in every night, utilized the Volvo smartphone app to track it and integrated the car more fully into our lives. The odometer reading sat at 16,866 miles in the end. A great number of those miles were done under electric power, thanks to the carÂ’s 22-mile electric range when fully charged — our range testing saw it meet or exceed that figure if driven with a light foot.  And since the car was sitting at home so often, it was working with a full charge in most circumstances. Long highway trips saw us match the carÂ’s combined mpg rating of 30 mpg. Most fill-ups would return a much higher effective mpg number, though, as all the electric motoring helps it along. Folks with shorter commutes should take notice, as S60 T8 ownership will greatly reduce the number of necessary fuel stops. Due to the VolvoÂ’s long 10,000-mile maintenance gaps, it only needed to make one regular dealer stop in our time. Besides that, there were two other trips to the dealer. We had recall work done — there was an issue with the automatic emergency braking system — before the first regular service. And a sunroof snafu was the carÂ’s second and last unscheduled trip to the shop. Read on below for all of our final impressions on the 2020 Volvo S60 T8. 2020 Volvo S60 T8 View 15 Photos Road Test Editor Zac Palmer: The S60 T8 is a slightly sporty sedan, but itÂ’s no sports sedan.

Volvo EX90 livestream reveal: Watch it here

Volvo's next chapter is about to begin with the debut of the EX90, the Swedish brand's all-electric successor to the three-row XC90 SUV. The new flagship will be a showcase of design, technology, safety and sustainability, pointing the way forward for the Volvo's all-electric future. The EX90 official reveal was on Wednesday, November 9 at 9 a.m. Eastern, and you can watch the live debut right here in the video above. So far, Volvo has released a number of teaser images showing parts of the car's exterior and minimalist, tech-focused interior. It has talked about the EX90's interior materials, its no-button tech interface and its focus on safety, including interior radar and exterior lidar. In addition to seeing the EX90, Volvo promises to give us a glimpse at what's to come next. Tune in above to hear it all. Covered body-coloured grille frame View 6 Photos