How Volvo made rear-wheel drive work on ice for the EX30 SUV

Rear-wheel drive vehicles way back earned a status for being a little bit of a nightmare to dwell with in snowy, icy circumstances. That is partly why Volvo stopped making the issues within the Nineteen Nineties, so it was a shock that the model returned to rear-drive for its newest EVs, like its upcoming subcompact SUV, the EX30.

Why the throwback structure? Subsequent-generation stability and traction-control programs, aided by the exact torque supply of electrical motors, enable for superior modulation of energy and braking that might have been not possible on these ’90s icons. To see simply how effectively Volvo’s engineers succeeded on the activity, I headed to northern Sweden to catch the tail of an Arctic winter and see whether or not this return to RWD was successful.

The pushed wheel dilemma

Because of inertia, having the engine of a automotive drive the rear wheels truly offers the acceleration. Whenever you speed up, the automotive’s mass successfully shifts rearward. That further weight on the rear wheels offers them extra grip—and offers you extra pace.

This works whether or not you are on dry or icy roads, however when grip is at a premium, turning will get extra difficult. For those who get too keen with the accelerator in a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) automotive, attempting to speed up out of a nook, these rear wheels are likely to spin. This kicks the automotive sideways, which, for those who’re not prepared for it, ends in an surprising spin.

That very same state of affairs is way safer in a front-wheel-drive (FWD) automotive. Speed up too exhausting in a nook, and the entrance wheels spin, inflicting the nostril of the automobile to slip extensive. That is simpler to catch and proper from behind the steering wheel, historically making these vehicles safer in slippery circumstances.

All-wheel drive (AWD) theoretically offers one of the best of each worlds for those who do not thoughts paying just a little additional for the privilege and getting worse gasoline financial system alongside the best way.

On condition that security is Volvo’s overriding precedence, it is smart that the model switched to focus fully on FWD and AWD vehicles within the late Nineteen Nineties. At this time, the newest stability management programs make it secure once more.

Methods to the rescue

To make RWD work on the brand new EX30 SUV, Volvo depends on a mixture of superior stability and traction management, once more aided by the exact management supplied by electrical motors.

Traction management is a fairly simple factor, a system that reduces the ability offered by the electrical motor or motors to forestall wheelspin. Stability management, nevertheless, is a little more nuanced. It really works with the traction management and in addition applies brakes to particular person wheels to assist the automotive flip. The final word purpose is to maintain the SUV secure in decidedly unstable circumstances.

You’ll be able to learn our preliminary impressions of Volvo’s spectacular $34,950 SUV here. That drive passed off in sunny Portugal on dry roads. My flip on the wheel passed off in snowy Sweden.

The snow and the ice are good locations to check out these digital smarts and sensors that Volvo baked into the brand new EX30. Their influence was most clearly felt within the RWD taste of the subcompact SUV. This single-motor model makes 268 hp plus 253 lb-ft of torque. As an EV, all that energy is delivered immediately to the wheels, which might make a mean RWD automotive an actual handful.

On glare ice, no much less on a frozen lake, the RWD EX30 pulled away cleanly from an entire cease. Even with the accelerator on the ground, there was solely a touch of wheelspin earlier than the traction-control system minimize energy to offer a easy, regular getaway.

Regular, sure, however not significantly swift. With so little grip and solely two wheels pushed, endurance is required when driving the RWD EX30 on ice. That is not the case with the dual-motor AWD model. That EX30 completely launched ahead, even on ice. The traction management once more saved wheelspin to principally nothing, however twice the grip meant considerably extra acceleration.