Mysterious problem with Internet connections in best-selling electric cars in South Africa

Owners of the two best-selling electric cars are unable to use their vehicles’ built-in Internet connectivity — and the precise reason for the issue is shrouded in mystery.

MyBroadband has tested two Volvo models that are supposed to have Internet access through a built-in eSIM and modem.

Online connectivity in these cars is essential for features like navigation, remote app control, and using media and other apps like Spotify, YouTube, and Prime Video.

The first model we tested — a Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin — would not detect the Huawei mobile Wi-Fi router that the fleet manager supplied. However, the router worked perfectly with connecting other devices.

To get the infotainment system online, the only option was to Bluetooth tether our mobile phone’s Internet connection.

This did not work seamlessly. We sometimes had to switch the Bluetooth on and off and reselect the phone to reinitiate communication.

The second model — the newer EX30 — could connect to the supplied mobile Wi-Fi router.

However, it sometimes fails to pick up the router at initial startup, requiring a restart and, in certain cases, switching the EX30’s Wi-Fi connectivity on and off in its settings.

This was much more of a hassle than when using simple mirroring software like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in much more affordable cars.

Several Volvo EX30 owners in South Africa have also complained about the Internet connectivity issue.

One of them who spoke to the Volvo dealership in Cape Town was told that the feature would never be available in South Africa and that he would need to use a router.

“Honestly, it’s pretty ridiculous to install a router in a car that’s already prepared for 5G,” they said.

“For services like Spotify and Google to work, you need constant Internet access.”

“Additionally, the Volvo website lists 5G capabilities for the car. While it mentions that it’s ‘prepared’ for 5G, it’s still disappointing.”

The EX30 is an important model for Volvo’s big electric vehicle (EV) ambitions.

Aimed primarily at the younger affluent market, it is the company’s most affordable all-electric model and has been a tremendous sales success — at least in South Africa.

With 281 units sold in the first half of the year, the EX30 led the local EV sales charts by a significant margin.

Its tally is more than the next four best-selling models — the Volvo XC40, BMW iX3, BMW iX, and Mini Cooper SE Hatch 3-door — combined over the same period.

Its sales also constituted nearly 38% of all 749 electric cars sold during the period. It had nearly double the full-year sales of the best-selling EV model in 2023.

The table below compares the sales of the top 10 best-selling EVs in South Africa in the first half of 2024.

Not just South Africa

Lacking a feature as integral to its tech-savvy character as Internet connectivity risks slowing down the EX30’s sales.

A handful of EX30 owners in South Africa have already threatened legal action or ombudsman complaints against Volvo for advertising the car with features that were not delivered.

Volvo Cars South Africa told MyBroadband that the Internet connectivity issue was not local.

“This situation is by no means unique to South Africa, with several other markets around the world experiencing the same,” the company said.

“Volvo Cars’ global team is aware and currently working on a solution, which we will communicate to local customers once finalised.”

MyBroadband found several posts from EX30 owners in numerous countries, including Volvo’s home turf of Sweden, complaining about the built-in Internet not working.

We asked Volvo why customers couldn’t use their own physical or eSIMs in the car.

The company said the EX30’s internal eSIM was centrally managed for security reasons.

When asked whether it should not include a mobile Wi-Fi router as standard with all EX30 and XC40s to compensate for the lack of built-in connectivity, it said that local customers preferred to access online services via their own mobile hotspots.

Volvo did not comment on the nature of the issue and whether it was hardware or software related.

However, MyBroadband has learnt that a possible cause could be an impasse between Vodacom’s parent company, Vodafone, and Volvo global headquarters on an Internet of Things (IoT) roaming agreement for the eSIMs.

We asked Vodacom for feedback on this but it had not responded by publication.