Introducing the Volvo ES90: The Pinnacle of Innovation
The Volvo ES90 defies traditional classifications, neither fitting neatly into the sedan nor the SUV category as per the automaker. Volvo highlights the vehicle's unique standing, leaving consumers to determine its exact segment. However, it embodies the characteristics of a crossover with its streamlined, sedan-like silhouette, elevated sides, and increased ground clearance. Regardless of its market category, Volvo positions the ES90 as a flagship model alongside the EX90.
The design of the ES90 mirrors the EX90, maintaining a consistent family appearance. Featuring Volvo's signature "Thor's Hammer" T-shaped headlights, complemented by vertically aligned driving lamps next to a sleek grille below. The C-shaped taillights echo the SUV's aesthetics, enhanced with additional LED elements on the sharply angled rear hatch. Functionally, the ES90 operates as a hatchback, providing 25.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded, and 17.5 cubic feet with seats up. Additionally, there’s a 1.7 cubic feet front trunk (frunk).
The ES90 is built on the SPA2 platform shared with the EX90, with slight variations in dimensions. It boasts a 122-inch wheelbase, marginally longer than its sibling, but is 16.4 feet in length, a few inches shorter. Its ground clearance stands at 8.0 inches, slightly lower, and it measures 83.5 inches in width from mirror to mirror. The electric drivetrain ensures ample space for passengers, with 4.2 inches of knee room and 37.8 inches of headspace in the rear.
Interior and Technology
The cabin of the ES90 exudes luxury with a minimalist approach, dominated by a 14.5-inch vertical touchscreen that manages nearly all vehicle functions. Features include four-zone climate control, a 25-speaker Bowers & Wilkins audio system, and integrated Google services. The driver has access to essential information via a narrow 9.0-inch display mounted on the steering column, positioned before the dashboard, alongside a heads-up display projecting data onto the windshield. The interior relies mainly on digital interfaces, with minimal physical buttons limited to the steering wheel and window controls.
Performance and Computing Power
Volvo asserts that the ES90 stands as its most potent vehicle, not just in horsepower but in computational strength. Equipped with a dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin setup, the ES90 can handle over 500 trillion operations per second, according to Volvo's Chief Engineer, Anders Bell. This immense processing power enables enhanced safety features and overall performance improvements through data, software, and AI integration.
Charging and Range
The ES90 is built with a robust 800-volt architecture, facilitating ultra-fast charging. Volvo claims it can add 186 miles of range within just 10 minutes at a 350 kW charging station. Charging from 10 to 80 percent can take as brief as 20 minutes, with the potential to achieve up to 435 miles on a full charge, supported by a 106 kWh battery (102 kWh usable). The ES90 is also touted as Volvo's most aerodynamically efficient model to date, achieving a drag coefficient of 0.25.
Variants and Availability
At launch, the ES90 will be available in three distinct versions. The Single Motor variant features a rear-wheel drive setup with a 92 kWh (88 kWh usable) battery, producing 245 horsepower and an estimated WLTP range of 400 miles. The Twin Motor ES90 adds a front motor, totaling 442 horsepower and extending the WLTP range to 435 miles. The high-performance Twin Motor Performance model maintains the same battery but ramps up the combined output to 670 horsepower, capable of accelerating to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, though its top speed is limited to 112 mph, and it maintains the 435-mile WLTP range.
Orders for the Volvo ES90 are currently open in select European regions, with a U.S. release planned for the future, although specific pricing and EPA range figures have yet to be disclosed.
Volvo CEO Jim Rowan commented, “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. 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.”