Volvo has revealed its latest large SUV, the all-electric EX90, the first salvo in its pledge to release one new EV every year until it reaches its goal of only selling electric vehicles by 2030.
Revealed in Stockholm, Sweden, the EX90 will be the flagship of the Volvo range and, contrary to early speculation, does not replace the ICE-powered XC90 large SUV, rather it will be sold alongside it "for the foreseeable future". When production begins next year, the EX90 will be built in the USA, with Chinese production following sometime after and Volvo plans for both production facilities to be carbon neutral by the time production begins.
The EX90 will initially be available as a twin-motor all-wheel drive model powered by a 111kWh battery and two permanent magnet electric motors together delivering 380kW and 910Nm of torque.
Volvo says the EX90 will deliver up to 600 kilometres of driving range on a single charge, according to the WLTP test cycle. It will charge from 10 to 80 percent in around 30 minutes and will also feature bi-directional charging. A full seven-seater, Volvo says that the standard safety in the EX90 is "higher than any Volvo car before it" and features an "invisible shield of safety enabled by our latest sensing technology, inside and outside."
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State-of-the art sensors, 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.
Nvidia Drive is the computing company's advanced autonomous vehicle computer platform and, along with Xavier and Orin, Snapdragon Cockpit Platforms from Qualcomm Technologies and in-house developed software by Volvo engineers, runs most of the core functions inside the EX90, from safety and infotainment to battery management. Volvo says the end result is "a more responsive and enjoyable experience inside the car.
The EX90 will be the first car to use Epic Games "Unreal Engine" for its in-car graphics. Widely considered to be the most advanced real-time 3D creation tool used in various industries beyond games, the Unreal Engine, combined with the state-of-the-art computing power from Snapdragon’ Cockpit Platforms will provide "lightning-fast computing power and high-quality graphics on the in-car screens and head-up display."
Originally developed as a 3D computer graphics game engine, Unreal Engine quickly expanded beyond the world of video games, becoming a Hollywood standard for virtual sets that can be rendered in real time and being used in high profile TV shows and movies such as The Lion King, Westworld and The Mandalorian.
As with other Volvos, the EX90 will have Google built in, with Google apps and services including hands-free help from Google Assistant, Google Maps navigation, while wireless Apple CarPlay is also included. A huge 14.5-inch central touchscreen dominates the dash, while the whole system will receive regular over-the-air updates. 
Of course, the EX90 features a high quality interior that uses "natural and responsibly-sourced materials" that Volvo says reflects its sustainability ambitions, such as being a fully circular and climate-neutral company by 2040.
The EX90 also contains roughly 15 percent recycled steel, 25 percent of recycled aluminium as well as 48 kilograms of recycled plastics and bio-based materials, which corresponds to around 15 percent of the total plastic used in the car – the highest level of any Volvo car to date.
Volvo New Zealand has said it will be launching the EX90 here sometime in 2024.
