Volvo has long been at the forefront of car manufacturers making the commitment to go fully electric across their lineup. The Swedish car manufacturer has indicated that, by 2030, every car they sell will be electric. The beginning of this transition appears to be starting soon with the release of the Volvo EX90.
Selling alongside the company’s flagship gas SUV, the XC90, the EX90 is set to arrive sometime in 2023 and set a new standard for Volvo excellence. While there’s a lot the public still doesn’t yet know about EX90, one thing is certain: Volvo is promising a car that is built not just with safety in mind, but at the very forefront of design decisions.
Volvo has indicated they will tell you more about the EX90 on November 9th as sort of a pseudo-launch date but, until then, let’s look at everything we know about the Volvo EX90 so far.
6 Quick Facts About the Volvo EX90
- The EX90 is Volvo’s first fully electric SUV.
- The North American models will be built in Charleston, South Carolina.
- Eye-tracking cameras will help eliminate driver distraction and stop the car if the driver falls asleep.
- The roof-mounted LiDAR sensor will help avoid accidents and collisions.
- It will be built on an all-electric SPA2 platform and have similarities to Polestar 3 SUV.
- Volvo will fully reveal the EX90 on November 9, 2022.
Volvo EX90 Specs
| Pricing | $70,000+ (estimated) |
| Range | 360 miles (estimated until EPA testing) |
| Battery | TBD |
| Seating | 5-7 |
| 0-60 mph | TBD |
| Drivetrain | FWD & AWD (estimated) |
Volvo EX90: Where to Buy
Once the Volvo EX90 is revealed to the public on November 9th, 2022, the car is likely to receive a launch date sometime in the latter half of 2023 as a 2024 model. As soon as the SUV is available, those looking to purchase the Volvo EX90 will be able to do so at Volvo dealerships around the world.
It’s also possible Volvo will make some type of pre-order available through its website and individual dealerships. However, there is no expectation Volvo will sell the EX90 in any capacity outside of their dealerships. Whether a pre-order will include some type of deposit is to be determined, but likely based on what is expected to be high demand for Volvo’s flagship electric vehicle.
The History of the Volvo EX90: What to Know
As of this writing, there isn’t much known about the Volvo EX90, its design, history, or who played a major role in bringing it to market. What we do know is that on September 21st, 2022, Volvo CEO Jim Rowan premiered a YouTube video that explained Volvo was starting to look toward the future as a new era for safety.
Volvo released the video on its company-run YouTube channel with Rowan indicating that this new era would begin with the company’s new flagship fully electric SUV, the Volvo EX90.
Numerous safety features were mentioned during the seven-minute and forty-five-second video, but the vehicle itself wasn’t shown nor were any of its features, range, pricing, or trim levels mentioned. This video was very much all about a commitment to how Volvo sees the future of its company beginning with the EX90.
Volvo EX90 Versions: What We Know
As of late September 2022, it’s still unknown how many versions of the Volvo EX90 will be released by the manufacturer. What can be predicted is that Volvo has recently updated its trim level offerings within its lineup, so it’s possible we could see around three different versions: a base Core, mid-range Plus, and Ultimate.
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Range
It’s too early to say if the range will be a factor among the three different trim levels, but it’s definitely possible an “Ultimate” trim would carry more range than a base Core version. Any numbers Volvo announces on November 9th will be subject to EPA testing in the U.S., so take any numbers with a grain of salt knowing they are likely to change.
Design
The look and features of the Volvo EX90 will be shown off on November 9th, which means we don’t know much as of this writing. What we do know is that Volvo will feature a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor so we can again emphasize the design of the car was built with safety in mind.
The best that can be said about the EX90 is from a series of patents filed by Volvo with the European Union Intellectual Protection Office on July 22, 2022. From these patents and the drawings contained within, there is reason to believe that the EX90 will be lower and longer than the current XC90 model. That’s not much to go on but it gives you your best preview so far of what the EX90 exterior might look like on the outside.
As far as the interior goes, expectations are high that Volvo will focus less on physical controls and more on a central touchscreen allowing for a simpler interior.
Autonomous Driving
The November 9th announcement for the EX90 is expected to include a Level 3 system for Volvo’s flagship electric vehicle. At Level 3 autonomous driving, drivers can take their eyes off the road as the EX90 will include eight cameras, five radars, 16 ultrasonic sensors, and Iris LiDAR sensors for assisting with autonomous driving.
Better known as “Ride Pilot,” Volvo EX90 owners will be able to, “free up time while driving and spend it on secondary activities such as reading, writing, working, or socializing.” That’s a big commitment from Volvo and, while the system will only be available in California at launch, Ride Pilot is expected to arrive on the EX90 sometime after its release in 2024.
Safety
This is the one big piece of the Volvo EX90 puzzle you can make sense of so far. Volvo’s teaser video for the vehicle was heavily focused on safety and that started with the exterior of the car.
State-of-the-art sensors and cameras will work with LiDAR technology to create a 360-degree real-time view of the world as you drive. They will sense the road in front of you, day or night, regardless of speed. Objects both large and small will be visible hundreds of meters ahead and will alert the driver so you have more time to react and avoid any obstacle on the road.
Volvo is so confident about the new safety technology on the outside of the EX90 that they are indicating that it will reduce serious injury or death by up to 20% in an accident. They also think that crash avoidance will increase by 9% as a result of the technology. If these numbers prove accurate, they represent a huge advancement in safety that Volvo will be looking to bring to its next fully electric car in its lineup.
The inside of the car offers a similar level of advanced safety features. Specialized sensors and cameras in the car will gauge your eye level concentration. If the car believes you are tired, distracted, or falling asleep, it will alert you by gently nudging you in your seat. If the cameras pick up that you appear to be sleeping or sick while driving, the EX90 is designed to stop and call for help.
The Public Response
So far, the public response to the Volvo EX90 has been mostly one of curiosity. There are still so many questions about the SUV itself (like of its design, seating, and range) that require answers before a true opinion can be formed.
No question, there is a lot of interest as Volvo’s gas alternative to the EX90, the XC90, has long been one of the best and safest luxury SUVs around. Volvo has shown they can deliver on safety time and time again, so there’s no reason to doubt they will do anything but set a new standard of safety for electric cars. For that reason alone, expect plenty of eyes to be on the Volvo EX90 announcement.
If the EX90 is released at pricing above $70,000 as is expected, the public response will be largely dependent on how much tech and safety Volvo offers over competitors like the Tesla Model X, BMW iX, Audi e-tron, and Jaguar I-Pace.
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