Volvo first revealed its all-electric sedan, the ES90, back in March. Since then, speculation has swirled that it could become the company’s defining EV. Judging by what we know so far, it just might.
For starters, the ES90 goes farther and charges faster than any Volvo electric vehicle to date. On top of that, it’s loaded with the company’s latest technology.
Yes, it’s a sedan on paper, but the ES90 blends categories. It offers the versatility of an SUV with a roomier interior, increased ground clearance, and most importantly, a practical liftback trunk. In essence, it combines the best traits of a sedan, fastback, and SUV. While an official US release date and the full specifications haven’t yet been disclosed, several key details are already confirmed.
“The Volvo ES90 combines our most advanced technologies with Scandinavian design and superior comfort, creating a true premium Volvo car designed to elevate your quality of life,” said Stephen Connor, the managing director of Volvo Australia. “It joins the EX90 SUV as one of our flagship models and cements our position as an industry leader in software-defined cars that harness the power of core computing.”
It is the first Volvo model to be built on the new 800V SPA2 architecture, which allows it to be charged with up to 186.4 miles (300 km) of range in 10 minutes using a 350-kW charger. The 102-kWh battery offers a WLTP range of 435 miles (700 km) on a single charge.
Maximum power is rated at 680 hp, with the car boasting a 0-60-mph (97-km/h) time of 4 seconds. As with all modern Volvos, top speed is limited to 112 mph (180 km/h).
Volvo’s commitment to sustainability is evident, with the ES90 set to be produced using climate-neutral energy, helping the automaker maintain one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry. Volvo estimates a total carbon footprint of 31 metric tons for the ES90 when charged using Europe’s standard energy mix.
Volvo is entering “a new era of safety, sustainability, and human-centric technology,” Francesca Gamboni, chief industrial operations officer at Volvo explained as the first of the ES90s rolled off the production line at the Chengdu assembly plant in China.
The ES90 comes equipped with LiDAR, five radars, seven cameras, and twelve ultrasonic sensors, making it one of Volvo’s most advanced vehicles. These systems can detect even small objects hundreds of meters away, giving both the car and driver more time to react.
Additional safety features include door-opening alerts to warn of cyclists or pedestrians, cabin occupancy detection to prevent children or pets from being left inside, and a 360-degree camera for easier parking in tight spaces.
Inside, the ES90 features a 14.5-inch Google-powered touchscreen infotainment system, a 9-inch driver display, and a head-up display. For audiophiles, the flagship trim offers a Bowers & Wilkins 25-speaker system.
The ES90’s liftback trunk provides 15 cubic feet (424 L) of cargo room, expandable to 25.8 cubic feet (733 liters) with the seats folded. There’s also a small frunk (0.7 cubic feet / 22 liters) that's ideal for storing charging cables.
The ES90 runs on twin NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin processors, capable of 508 trillion operations per second, which is an eightfold performance jump over the previous generation. Paired with adaptive dampers, this hardware enables advanced driver-assistance features and lays the groundwork for future updates.
Volvo’s new Superset technology stack ensures the ES90 can continuously improve through over-the-air updates. While it currently supports Level 2 autonomy, upgrades to Level 3 could come later.
Orders are already open across much of Europe, with Asia-Pacific markets next. In Germany, pricing starts at €71,990 (about US$84,000) and rises to around €95,000 ($110,000) for higher trims.
That positions the ES90 competitively among large premium EV sedans. When it eventually lands in the US, it will likely go up against the Polestar 4, the more expensive BMW i5, and other luxury electric sedans.
Forget all that, did someone say a Polestar with a Volvo badge?
Source: Volvo
