Weights can vary within an automotive group. Just a few years ago, Polestar was Volvo’s small electric subsidiary. This year, the Polestar 3 took a three-week lead over Volvo in its world premiere. That doesn’t change anything: Volvo’s new EX90, the tech twin of the Polestar 3, also plays the card of understated Scandinavian design – some reminiscent of the 2021 Recharge Concept study, but some are based on existing Volvo models. However, the two Swedish electric cars are unlikely to snatch customers from each other.
Because there is too much variation in profiling: This mainly affects the interior. While both will likely go to the dealership next year with the same 2.98m wheelbase, only the Volvo EX90 has three rows of seats that can accommodate seven people. Therefore, the Volvo EX90 is 5.04 meters 14 centimeters longer than the Polestar. Depending on the seat configuration, the EX90’s luggage compartment holds between 310 and 1915 liters of luggage. With a net capacity of 107 kilowatt hours (kWh), one of the largest batteries currently in an electric car is housed in the underbody in every drive version.
Range up to 600 kilometers
Basically, the Volvo EX90 always comes with all-wheel drive. Its launch in 2023 will begin with the top version with 517 hp (380 kW), a maximum torque of 910 Newton meters and a range of 590 km. Zero to 100 km/h sprints in 4.9 seconds and the electronics anchor at 180 km/h: After all, Volvo has long limited all models to this value, while the Polestar models are free to rein. The second variant will have 408 hp (300 kW) and a range of 600 kilometers; Third in the group is the version with 503 hp (370 kW), also 910 Nm and the same performance. It should also appear in the USA, where the EX90 will be produced from 2023. A year from now, the first vehicles are scheduled to roll off the assembly line in China.
Batteries can be charged from zero to 80 percent in just 30 minutes at the DC fast charging station. The EX90 will also be the first Volvo to support bidirectional charging, so it can be integrated into building technology as a mobile power storage device. Solar energy produced during the day can be temporarily stored to power electrical appliances, your own home or the public electricity grid. But the latter is still something of the future.
Traditionally, safety has played an important role in a Volvo. The EX90 will be the first Volvo to feature lidar laser sensors in the front of the roof. It records a 360-degree view of the environment – a prerequisite for autonomous driving. These were the biggest challenges for exterior design chief T Jon Mayer: “The lidar sensors must be mounted as high as possible so they can see the front of the car.” But they would also break the aerodynamics and cost range. “And all the design proportions would go away,” Mayer says. So they’re now partially buried under a modern bucket: “But I had to fight for it for a long time,” says Mayer.
rolling game console
A vertically positioned 15-inch touchscreen display and a narrow digital information bar behind the eaves dominate the smoothly polished interior. As always with Volvo, the infotainment system in the EX90 plays with Google’s Android operating system, including navigation with Google Maps. The 5G chip provides connectivity and over-the-air updates. The computing power and graphics card, together with the 25 speakers of the black and white sound system, are suitable even for video games that keep young people engaged even over long distances.
There is still no specific date for its release – it should be the end of 2023 at least. Accordingly, there is no price yet. Volvo’s current flagship with a plug-in hybrid drive, the XC90, will be available with the EX90 for a while longer – so the new Stromer doesn’t inherit the old name. However, the transition to the next model generation begins with the EX90 at Volvo: it will be the first of seven new models by 2030 – there will be one in the years to come.