Volvo's Electric EX60 SUV Has a 400-Mile Range--and Rethinks the Humble Seat Belt The Swedish brand's latest computer-packed EV hopes to take on and beat the BMW iX3. Alongside the chosen few in WIRED's breakdown of the most anticipated EVs coming this year, the arrival of the Volvo EX60 has also been eagerly awaited. This is mainly because of the impressive stats surrounding the car; the headline claim is a range of more than 400 miles. Sitting between the EX40 and EX90, the new EV looks more like a sibling of the entry-level EX30, which is a good car but too fast for its own good . Plus, the reveal images here from Volvo initially seem to show that the design team has figured out a way to remove the unsightly lidar roofline bulges that in some eyes ruined the finished aesthetic of the EX90.

Bungie's Marathon arrives on March 5 How to claim Verizon's $20 outage credit With big power and big range, Volvo's next-gen EV efforts are off to a good start. Volvo hasn't exactly had a great run of EVs lately. The rollout of its flagship EX90 was stymied out of the gate by a bevy of software glitches. The EX30, meanwhile, was too expensive when it launched -- the promised $35,000 model was incompatible with the currently chaotic global tariff situation. Now, it's time for a new generation of EV from Volvo, one that's radically different at its core with a gigacast frame, a much higher-density battery and enough digital and literal horsepower to impress the most jaded of automotive enthusiasts.

When an entry-level Volvo can get to 60 mph quicker than a Porsche 911, and in the same time as a Ferrari, electric car makers need a reset. It's difficult to imagine it happening now, but cars have in the past seriously triggered politicians. Australia's predilection for big, bluff muscle sedans prompted the so-called " supercar scare " in the early '70s, when various state ministers of transport united in calling for a nationwide ban on what one called "bullets on wheels." Fast forward 20 years and the UK's House of Commons found itself debating the Lotus Carlton, in very many ways the successor to those Antipodean bruisers. An outrageous reimagining of a competent but far from stellar Opel/Vauxhall sedan (it was badged the latter in the UK), the Daily Mail decided the nation's moral well-being was imperiled by its very existence.

Volvo Trucks revealed its concept for a new self-driving electric semi-truck. It has been designed as a replacement for trucks that move large volumes of goods between fixed hubs. Volvo's biggest model is going electric. It features a three-row, seven-passenger seating arrangement like the XC90, but rides on an all-new platform. The EX90 will be manufactured at Volvo's Ridgeville, South Carolina factory starting early next year.

A few years ago, Samsung had major battery issues when several faulty Galaxy Note 7 phones had exploding batteries. The devices were recalled, and the company spent a lot of time over the following years outlining all the rigorous battery tests it did to ensure it didn't happen again. Now, YouTuber Mrwhosetheboss, as well as others, have noticed batteries in Samsung phones are swelling up at a disproportionately high rate. This usually affects older devices, but some are only a couple of years old – the 2020-era Galaxy Z Fold 2, for instance. Samsung hasn't formally responded yet, but battery swelling isn't a new problem, nor one unique to Galaxy phones.

When the Tesla Model S was released a decade ago, it was unlike anything else on the market. And I'm not talking about the fact that it's electric -- I mean the interior design. Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's lead designer, put an enormous 17-inch vertical touchscreen in the center of the car. It dominates the dash, and you control nearly everything in the car through it -- for better or worse. "Everything that we do at Tesla has to be beautiful," said von Holzhausen in July 2017 at the launch of the Tesla Model 3. "But beauty is only great if it's functional."

Google unveiled Wednesday at CES 2022 a range of new ways to keep its Android devices connected -- and that includes cars. As more vehicles go electric and automakers evolve into software developers, expect to see more plays directed at turning cars into connected devices. Take Volvo Cars, for instance. The automaker and Google announced at CES 2022 new content and services that will be coming to future Volvo vehicles, including the ability to download and use the YouTube app via Google Play Store and the ability to communicate with the Google Home ecosystem. New Volvo car models are equipped with an Android Automotive operating system and have embedded voice-controlled Google Assistant, Google Play Store, Google Maps and other Google services into its infotainment system.

Volvo will debut "Ride Pilot," its take on a Tesla-like autonomous driving feature, in California, the automaker announced on Wednesday during CES 2022. Once it's approved for use on highways, Volvo says it will offer Ride Pilot as a paid subscription add-on for a new electric SUV it plans to reveal later this year. It will later bring the feature to other markets globally. The company worked with Zenseact and LiDAR developer Luminar to create Ride Pilot, and it's currently testing the feature in Sweden. As you might guess from Luminar's involvement, Ride Pilot will utilize LiDAR technology, an approach that puts Volvo at odds with Tesla.

Volvo says it will be the first automaker to offer direct integration with Google Home in its cars. You'll be able to control certain functions remotely via Google Assistant. You might tell your phone to lock the doors or ask a smart speaker to start warming up your car as you're getting ready to leave home. Two-factor authentication is needed for "more sensitive commands," like unlocking the doors. You can also learn info related to your car through Google Assistant.

Volvo is eager to bring self-driving technology to construction crews, but it's taking a decidedly unusual route to get there. The automaker has unveiled an autonomous wheel loader prototype, the LX03, that's based on a Lego model -- 42081 Lego Technic Concept Wheel Loader Zeux, if you're looking for it. The machine can haul 5 tons and can make its own decisions in a wide variety of situations, including team-ups with human workers. The LX03 is also uniquely modular. Volvo can make "just one or two changes" to produce a larger or smaller loader to meet a customer's demands.