AUTONEWS

Volvo against Volvo in the crash test

Face to face, in this case literally, Volvo's latest models, the EX90 and EX30 electric SUVs, were on the crash test track. Interestingly, these two vehicles are the largest and smallest SUV from the Nordic brand, so there was an obvious interest in knowing how this David would behave in a collision with the Goliath.

This is not the first time that a car manufacturer has crashed a heavy model against a substantially lighter one, replicating an accident that could happen on public roads. The purpose is to ensure that the smallest car — which in a crash of this type is forced to absorb most of the energy, as it is the lightest vehicle — can still protect its occupants from the effects of the crash, ensuring not only the necessary interior space for survival, but also limiting the efforts to which the occupants are subjected, in order to minimize damage and injuries.

This time, Volvo was not just interested in demonstrating that its vehicles are safe, regardless of their size. The brand also intended to highlight the effectiveness of a new solution that debuted in the EX90, aimed not only at better protecting its occupants, but above all those traveling aboard a lighter and better-sized vehicle. We are referring to a new structure installed in the lower front area of this top-of-the-range SUV, designed to absorb crash energy more efficiently when the accident involves a shorter vehicle, as is the case with the EX30.

Volvo revealed, through Automotive News Europe, the crash test between the EX90 and the EX30, the first measuring 5,037 m in length and weighing up to 2,811 kg, while the second has a more accessible version of 4,233 m and 1,840 kg. The video speaks for itself, showing what happens when the EX90, traveling at 50 km/h, collides head-on with the side of the EX30, which was traveling at 20 km/h. The images also include explanations from Lotta Jakobsson, Volvo's head of passive safety and injury prevention.

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