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The Battery Show & EV Tech Europe Digital Days: The Development of Volvo’s Modular Electric Propulsion Traction Battery

The interactive virtual conference will feature a talk titled “Outlining the Development of Volvo’s Modular Electric Propulsion Traction Battery” by Klas Olsson, Team Manager & Product Owner, VolvoCars.

Kevin Clemens

May 12, 2021

3 Min Read
Volvo XC40.png
Volvo XC40VolvoCars

The Battery Show & EV Tech Europe Digital Days on May 18-20 is an interactive virtual conference delivering the same technical training, top-tier education, and expert speakers from our in-person events, but in an easily digestible virtual format.

Among the featured presentation during the show will be a talk titled “Outlining the Development of Volvo’s Modular Electric Propulsion Traction Battery” by Klas Olsson, Team Manager & Product Owner, VolvoCars.

Klas has worked within four different departments at Volvo Cars and has been part of the Volvo Cars Graduate Program. His positions have been within both R&D and Supplier Quality Management (SQM). Battery Technology interviewed Klas to find out more about his talk.

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Klas Olsson

Battery Technology: Can you first give me a brief biography, stressing why you are interested in the electrification of transportation? Why did your career move in this direction?

Klas Olsson: Battery development is really where my career started. When I graduated Volvo had recently started the development of plug-in hybrids and I found that a really interesting field to work within, with a wide scope of technical challenges. Moreover, I have always wanted to work with something that makes a positive impact on society, and enabling fossil-free, CO2 neutral transportation is definitely such an area. Since I started, I have been part of all battery projects at Volvo, working with both project management and system design (and more recently building efficient teams). Even so, it does not get boring as the technical development moves so fast in the battery field. Also, working in an organization that contains a mix of people from different technical backgrounds (automotive background, “battery” background (materials eng/chemical eng.), C&C) and cultures makes it even more exciting.

Related:The Battery Show & EV Tech Europe Digital Days Announces Virtual Product Showcase Line-Up

BT: What were some of the specific goals you faced for the XC40 project? What were the challenges in meeting those goals?

Olsson: As this was the first long-range BEV for Volvo, understanding (at an early stage) how the attributes effected by the battery should be balanced was not easy. However, our platform strategy with a scalable battery and in-house SW enabling quick loops, made us able to tune in to customer expectations and deliver the right product when launched. 

BT: On a bigger scale, how do you see the rollout of electrification of transportation in Europe rolling out and what part will Volvo play in that rollout?

Olsson: We see a large demand for our “recharge” range of plug-in products in Europe, accounting for 42% of our sales in Europe (in April this year). This shows that customers are definitely ready for electric cars. Our ambition is to sell 50% pure electric cars in 2025.

Related:The Battery Show & EV Tech Europe Digital Days: An Interview With Paul Taylor, Johnson Matthey

 

Klas Olsson will present “Outlining the Development of Volvo’s Modular Electric Propulsion Traction Battery” on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, from 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm (Central European Time).

The Battery Show & EV Tech Europe Digital Days provides the latest in advanced battery design, thermal management, the evolution of battery chemicals, and other hot topics all from the comfort of wherever you are. You can check out the agenda at a glance below for more details.

Speaking companies include Volvo, EIT InnoEnergy, Williams Advanced Engineering, and The Faraday Institute. See the full list of speakers here, and then click the link below to get your pass.

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Kevin Clemens is a Senior Editor with Battery Technology.

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