2023 Volvo EX90 EV SUV Debuts – Smartest, Safest, Greenest Volvo Ever?

We’ve heard it before. From your moms and pops to even top professionals like a Formula 1 World Champion (who shall remain nameless), many drivers opined that cars are getting more complicated as years gone by. While some tech bits feature nothing but just an excuse for manufacturers to bump up prices, others are rather helpful, should you know how to handle it.

But what if there is a car that is laden with techs that actually helps the drivers, rather than just being a showpiece? Well, the all-new Volvo EX90 might be it.

After teasing us for weeks, the 2023 Volvo EX90 finally made its long-awaited global debut earlier today. Premiered as a premium 7-seat SUV, the EX90 is poised to headline Volvo’s upcoming electric SUV line-up, with the Swedish marque planning to go fully electric by 2030.

Unveiled in Volvo’s special event in Stockholm, Sweden, the 2023 Volvo EX90 looks like yet another Volvo SUV, at a glance. The modern and refined look featured on its predecessor – the Volvo XC90 – is here to stay, as the new EX90 follows said combustion-powered model’s footsteps, with additional bold elements to spice things up a notch.

The front facade is donned with Volvo’s iconic Mjolnir (Thor’s hammer name) headlights, with an addition of vertical light strips below them. In return, this gives the EX90 a sabre tooth-like front facade, akin to one found on the Peugeot 3008. Volvo’s Iron Mark emblem pops up on the EX90, thanks to the deletion of the front grille, deemed unnecessary for EVs alike.

What’s unique about the EX90’s headlights are that the actual headlights are ‘hiding’ beneath the LED DRL lights. The lights’ exterior DRL will open up and reveal the actual 1.3-megapixel headlights.

On board, the EX90 comes with a typical SUV silhouette, with no extreme elements like the sporty and slanting roofline found in its SPA2 platform cousins, the Polestar 3. Another key feature in its side are the massive 20-inch wheels, installed with aerodynamic insets to reduce drag for better efficiency.

On the performance sheet, the Volvo EX90 comes in two variants – ‘Standard’ and ‘Performance’. Both share the same 107 kWh battery packs that pack enough juice for an estimated travel range of 600 KM, though the Performance version will be less likely to hit said estimated mark. Also similar for both variants are its dual-motor, all-wheel drive setups\ with torque vectoring added.

The 107 kWh battery pack is capable of fast DC charging at a rate of 250 kW. This roughly translates to a 10%-80% in only about 30 minutes. The EX90 also supports bi-directional charging, meaning that not only is it a computer on wheels, it also doubles up as a portable, massive power bank too. Should emergency situations arise, the EX90 can be used as a temporary power supply for your home, your cabin, or anywhere you are, really.

The standard EX90 boasts a 409 HP and 770 NM power output, enough to propel the full-size EX90 from nought to 100 KM/H in 5.9 seconds. The Performance version comes with a higher power output that reads at 510 HP and 910 NM, which enables a 4.9 seconds finish in a 0 to 100 KM/H sprint.

However, what truly sets the EX90 apart from the rest of EV SUVs is its cutting-edge safety features. The external safety setup comprises 16 ultrasonic sensors, eight cameras, five radars and a dedicated LiDAR system mounted on top of the roof – built by Luminar.

Dubbed as the “safest car Volvo has ever produced,” the LiDAR is capable of detecting obstacles or objects as far as 250 M in front of the EX90, be it in daylight or pitch-black night time. Said LiDAR, working in tandem with the rest of the sensors and cameras, are able to estimate the object’s size, road geometry and even potholes and road bumps sizes. Volvo claims these new external safety features can reduce up to 20% road accidents.

The safety features don’t stop on the exterior only. Inside the EX90’s cabin, each of its seats are equipped with sensors that detect the passengers. In the case of emergency or pure negligence, the sensors ensure that no one will be left inside the EX90.

Special for the driver’s side is the driver’s awareness detection system. Said sensors can also work in giving warnings to EX90’s drivers, should it detect the drivers suddenly lose focus, being distracted or feeling sleepy.

We can’t conclude the inside cabin part without talking about its luxury amenities. Centrepiece to this modern luxury cabin is the massive 14.5-inch vertically-mounted infotainment screen, with a Google Assistant built-in. Apple fanboys, fret not, as the Apple CarPlay wireless connectivity is also supported, as well as Android Auto. Said display also houses all of EX90’s essential controls, including the climate controls.

In spite of its massive size, the central display does not overload the drivers with unnecessary information that will distract the drivers. Key EV features like charging station maps, charging reminders are all available. Finishing off the luxury bits is the Dolby Atmos sound system, delivered via Bowers & Wilkins 25-speaker layout, with individual tweeters built-in both front seat headrests.

Volvo takes pride in utilising only sustainable materials for its new EX90. The interior boasts zero leather finishing, instead being replaced with natural fibre materials that is not only sustainable, but also did not strip any of its luxury off. The materials for its battery packs are sourced sustainably, as well as its metalwork – most came from recycled metals.

The ‘supercomputer’ element comes in the form of two Nvidia Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms built on the EX90, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU. The powerful computer brains help the EX90 to deliver its safety features, both interior and exterior, ensuring that “no one should be killed or badly injured in the new Volvo.”

The Volvo EX90 will usher in the new era for the Gothenburg-based marque, as it targets to be a full-EV manufacturer by 2030, as well as being fully carbon neutral a decade later. Volvo also projected a 1.2 million EV sales by 2025, that will reduce about 40% of its total carbon dioxide emission.

Price for the 2023 Volvo EX90 EV SUV starts around £96,255 (RM516,225) for the standard model, and £100,555 (RM539,455) for the Performance spec.