Volvo All-New Flagship EX90 Electric SUV
Volvo has unveiled the EX90, a seven-seater all-electric SUV designed to take the famed Swedish manufacturer into a decisive new era of electric mobility.
Nov 10, 2022
The EX90 builds on the legacy of the much-loved XC90 SUV with an all-electric powertrain. The vehicle will be built in the United States and China with production starting next year.
Beginning with the EX90, Volvo states it will continue to develop and produce one fully new electric vehicle each year ahead of becoming an EV-only carmaker by 2030.
Volvo says its all-new EX90 is a true seven-seater, all-electric SUV that further raises standards in safety and a more sustainable lifestyle. For the Swedish manufacturer, the Volvo EX90 represents the start of a new era for the company in which it sets a decisive course for a fully electric future.
Starting with the EX90, Volvo has committed to revealing one new fully electric car each year. By 2030, it aims to sell only fully electric cars, one of the most ambitious electrification blueprints in the automotive industry and crucial to its ambition to be a climate-neutral company by 2040.
The new fully electric flagship SUV was revealed to global media in Stockholm, reflecting the company’s Swedish roots. The Volvo EX90 will be built in the United States starting next year and later also in China. Volvo’s aim is for those two production facilities to be climate neutral.
Volvo says the EX90 defines the principle of form following function in true Scandinavian style. It’s a versatile, stylish family car with modern proportions, combined with cutting-edge technology in core computing, connectivity, and electrification to optimise safety, efficiency and aesthetics.
The standard safety equipment in the Volvo EX90 is higher than any Volvo car before. It’s designed to understand the driver and its surroundings to help keep the driver, passengers and others in traffic safe. Volvo says it can also get smarter and safer over time, as it learns from new data and receives updates.
The Volvo EX90 has what the carmaker refers to as an ‘invisible shield’ of safety enabled by the latest sensing technology, inside and outside. State-of-the art sensors like cameras, radars and lidar are connected to the car’s high-performance core computers, where NVIDIA DRIVE runs Volvo Cars’ in-house software to create a real-time, 360-degree view of the world.
The sensors are designed to respond and react when the driver is just a fraction too late. The car’s lidar, delivered by Luminar, can sense the road ahead, whether it’s day or night, also at highway speeds. It can see small objects hundreds of metres ahead, creating more time to inform, act and avoid. The sensors also contribute to improve the reliability and overall performance of Volvo’s assisted driving function Pilot Assist, with a new steering support while changing lanes.
Inside, special sensors and cameras, powered by in-house developed algorithms, gauge eye gaze concentration. The technology allows the Volvo EX90 to understand when the driver is distracted, drowsy or otherwise inattentive, beyond what has been possible in a Volvo car to date.
Thanks to the state-of-the-art sensor set including lidar, the Volvo EX90 is the first Volvo that’s hardware-ready for unsupervised driving in the future. The end result is a more responsive and enjoyable experience inside the car.
Volvo believes the Volvo EX90 isn’t just a new car, but rather a highly advanced computer on wheels. Even better, just like a smartphone or laptop, the Volvo EX90 is designed to get better over time, thanks to regular over-the-air software updates.
By combining the state-of-the-art computing power from Snapdragon’ Cockpit Platforms with the visualisation capabilities of Unreal Engine, the 3D tool developed by Epic Games and used to power some of the world’s largest games, to provide lightning-fast computing power and high-quality graphics on the in-car screens and head-up display.
A 14.5-inch centre screen acts as a gateway to what Volvo believes is one of the best infotainment systems on offer, with Google built in. Google apps and services including hands-free help from Google Assistant, Google Maps navigation and more apps on Google Play all come built in. The Volvo EX90 will also be compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay.
The driver and passengers can stream favourite music through a new, reference-quality Bowers & Wilkins audio system featuring Dolby Atmos as a Volvo-first, plus head rest-integrated speakers for immersive sound.
The Volvo EX90 will also come with phone key technology as standard. The driver’s smartphone serves as the car key and automatically unlocks the car and starts a personal welcoming sequence as they approach.
Delivering up to 600 kilometres of emission-free driving range on a single charge, according to the WLTP test cycle, it charges from 10 to 80% in under 30 minutes.
The initially available twin-motor all-wheel drive version is powered by a 111kWh battery and two permanent magnet electric motors together delivering in its performance version 380kW and 910Nm of torque. In combination with the brand-new chassis, Volvo says this creates a smooth driving experience.
The Volvo EX90 contains approximately 15% of recycled steel, 25% of recycled aluminium as well as 48kg of recycled plastics and bio-based materials, which corresponds to around 15% of the total plastic used in the car – the highest level of any Volvo car to date.
Finally, the EX90 is Volvo’s first car with all the necessary hardware to enable bi-directional charging. Available in selected markets, it’s a technology whereby the owner can use the car battery as an extra energy supply, for example to power other electric devices or another electric Volvo car.