NEW CAR: Volvo EX90

Volvo reports that its all-electric, seven-seater EX90 marks the start of something new, yet all it wants to talk about is safety – so what has changed? Rob Marshall looks into the car's technical aspects to nd out.

In years past, we looked upon this Swedish legend as the very epitome of conservatism. Volvos were sensible, heavy, square and safe (just like their owners, which we would never dare to suggest). Yet, Ovlov realised it needed more than loyalty from the twin-set and pearls brigade to survive and past models heralded new directions for the company. The P1800, 480, 850 and the rst generation S80 and XC90 were genuine pivotal cars that ushered fresh ways of thinking and Volvo wants the EX90 to join this list of comparatively radical alumnae.

Yet, Volvo is not abandoning its core principle and is keen to highlight the model's safety credentials. This is not entirely surprising, because there is not much new to reveal about its running gear, which, according to several reports, has been unveiled already, powering the Polestar 3 SUV. With Volvo aiming to become an all-electric brand by the end of the decade, we should view the EX90 as a replacement for the current XC90, which is still looking fresh after eight years.

Electrical power

Being bidirectional, like that tted to the Hyundai's Ioniq 5, the onboard 11kW charger not just facilitates charging but also discharging. Unfortunately, the EX90 takes almost 60 hours to charge fully from 'empty' with a 13-Amp plug. However, as shrewd EV owners appreciate that charging from home is the least expensive way to 'refuel', as well as being kinder to the battery than fast charging, at least they can use the car as a giant power-pack to power their whole house. At least, that is the plan – Volvo has yet to con rm if this system will be available on UK cars. We shall nd out, when the rst examples hit our shores in September. More costly DC fast-charging cuts this time considerably, achieving a 20% to 80% state-of-charge in just over half an hour. The 111kWh battery, incidentally, provides a maximum 373 miles of range.

Perhaps understandably, Volvo does not reveal many details about the battery. All we know is that it is made by Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL), a Chinese company that is barely a decade old, yet is supplying almost most European and North American EV manufacturers. According to TIME magazine, the company has created more billionaires than either Google or Facebook, and is worth more than the Volkswagen Group. Like many EVs, the battery assembly is mounted to the oor pan's underside and incorporates the thermal management system. Being especially digital-tech heavy, the Volvo mobile phone 'app can be used by the owner to warm, or cool, the battery manually.

Volvo's rst large EV SUV is four-wheel-drive, with a single-drive motor mounted to each axle. The result is 408PS, or 770Nm of torque. If this is not enough, a performance version raises output to 517PS/910Nm and provides a 0-62mph dash of 4.7 seconds. The front motors between the two versions are the same, whereas the output of that tted to the rear axle rises from 163PS to 272PS for the higher-powered model. The rear motors also combine not just torque vectoring but can also be decoupled to reduce drag under overrun/coasting conditions to optimise valuable range. All new Volvos have their top speed pegged at 112mph and the EX90 is no exception.

Strength is power but intelligence is better

So, the new Volvo is powerful. It needs to be, for this 5m x 2m SUV weighs more than a current generation Range Rover 3.0-litre plug-in hybrid, tipping the scales at over 2.8 tonnes.

Naturally, its sheer bulk places it at a signi cant advantage in a collision. Yet, Volvo's ambitious safety vision of nobody being killed inside and around a new model has led to the company taking a particularly close interest in advancing existing ADAS technology. Incidentally, we understand that Volvo's rst Level 3 autonomous system, Ride Pilot, will appear in the EX90, although possibly not for the UK market.

The rst new ADAS system is driver monitoring, using two cameras that are positioned to the left and centre of the fascia, plus a capacitive steering wheel. These systems observe and sense not just the driver's posture but they also detect when attention is diverted from driving. An additional infrared sensor captures eye movements and evaluates blink and pupil dilution rates. The car can respond with a simple warning that is ampli ed, dependent on the situation's severity. Should the driver become unresponsive, the car will manoeuvre to a safe standstill and warn surrounding tra c with its hazard warning lamps. It will be interesting to see if such technology from a Chinese-owned manufacturer will be viewed by drivers as a positive safety feature, or an unreasonable intrusion.

The EX90 features the rst interior radar system on a production car, although this activates only when the car is locked. Designed to be sensitive enough to detect the tiniest movements, the intention is to prevent hypothermia, or heatstroke situations, when people and/or animals are left inside a locked vehicle, using sensors mounted on the cabin roof. Volvo says that the car will remain unlocked, should it detect movement inside the car. The climate control system may also not deactivate. Again, it remains to be seen if this system proves a genuine lifesaver, or an irritating inconvenience in the real world.

Unsurprisingly, the EX90 features the full suite of exterior ADAS hardware that you would expect, from ultrasonic (parking) sensors, to cameras, radar and LiDAR. The new close-tomedium range LiDAR is mounted on the roof and Volvo says it decreases severe accidents by up to 20%. The system is the fruit of a ve years-long collaboration between Volvo and the North American Luminar corporation, which states that the technology does not aim to replace human driving but enhances it.

Fitted to the EX90, the Lumiunar Iris LiDAR operates on the 1550 nanometre wavelength, with an Nvidia Orin processor providing the necessary computing power. The main advantages include higher resolution and superior processing power that allows the system to spot smaller objects faster than before. Volvo claims that the EX90's system can detect pedestrians up to 1/4 of a mile away and can distinguish a tyre on a dark road that is 120 metres ahead. Naturally, this ADAS system is integrated with the other ECUs, including those that provide emergency backup for the steering and braking.

So, there you have it. A very safe, very big, very fast (if you ignore the top speed) and a very heavy Volvo. It is also not especially cheap, with prices starting at just under £96,000, although this appears to be a relative bargain, when compared with some of its competitors. The EX90 is available to pre-order now, with the rst deliveries expected in September.