VOLVO FINALLY REVEAL THE EX90, THEIR LATEST ALL-ELECTRIC PROJECT

After months of teasing, Volvo has fully revealed its latest electric endeavour, the EX90 SUV. True to the company’s Swedish roots, the vehicle was unveiled to the world in Stockholm earlier this month.

The EX90 nails the art of looking spacious and roomy without appearing obnoxiously bulky. It draws much of its styling cues from Volvo’s portfolio of recent work, with the angular rear lights immediately resembling those seen on Concept Recharge shown to us last year.

The new SUV sits on the dedicated electric SPA2 architecture and will initially be available in a twin-motor, all-wheel drive variant capable of delivering 517hp and 910Nm of torque. Powered by a 111kWh battery, the EX90 is said to be able to provide up to 600km of range on a single charge. Volvo also claims that the battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 30 minutes.

Volvo’s commitment to its sustainability pledge extends beyond its latest release simply being an all-electric vehicle. The EX90 is around 15 per cent recycled steel, 25 per cent recycled aluminium, and 48 kilograms of recycled plastics and bio-based materials.

Alongside sustainability, the Swedish automaker has made safety an EX90 priority. This revelation was not entirely unexpected, as Volvo hinted at some of their latest safety technologies in the run-up to the EX90’s full reveal. According to Volvo, standard safety in this release is the highest of any Volvo car, with the EX90 capable of using data to get smarter and safer over time.

The vehicle is protected by what Volvo call ‘an invisible shield of safety,’ ever-present and underpinned by the latest technology. This looks like an array of cameras, radars, and lidar sensors all connected to a high-performance central computer which generates a real-time, 360-degree picture of the world. The system observes not only the surrounding environment but also the vehicle interior, monitoring everything from distant oncoming obstacles to driver eye gaze concentration.

The sensor system is more than just a novelty function, with Volvo stating that it contributes to their ‘Pilot Assist’ assisted driving function. The company has even claimed that from a hardware perspective, the EX90 is well-equipped for unsupervised driving at some point in the future.

This state-of-the-art safety set-up is just one part of a larger tech system which looks to provide drivers with a more responsive and enjoyable experience. Volvo calls it a “highly advanced computer on wheels”, and we can see why. The core system is powered by NVIDIA DRIVE AI platforms Xavier and Orin, Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms and Volvo’s in-house-developed software. These technologies combine to run most of the EX90’s core functions, from the aforementioned safety features to infotainment and battery management.

Central to this experience is a 14.5-inch infotainment display, which uses Epic Games’ Unreal Engine to provide drivers with high-quality graphics. The display also supports several Google apps and services, including Google Assistant and Google Maps, as well as Apple CarPlay functionality.

As exciting as all this sounds, we’ll have to hold our horses as the EX90 is not due to go on sale until at least 2024. We should also anticipate paying a pretty penny for Volvo’s new baby, with prices for the EX90 expected to start from at least £90,000. Did you think a computer on wheels with an invisible shield would be cheap?

Images: Press Material – Press Releases – Volvo Cars Global Media Newsroom