Electric car: Volvo presents its ES90 luxury sedan

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With the Volvo ES90, the Chinese-Swedish electric car manufacturer is presenting a “premium saloon”. In formal terms, Volvo sees its sixth electric car model as combining the advantages of a saloon, hatchback, and SUV and speaks of a “software-defined basis”. The luxury-class electric car in the format of a Mercedes-Benz EQE or BMW i5 is available to order in Germany immediately from 71,990 euros.

The table shows a length of five meters and a width of 1.94 m; Volvo intends to provide a height specification at a later date. The wheelbase is 3.1 meters, the wheel sizes are between 20 and 22 inches. With its drag coefficient of 0.25, the ES90 has the lowest of all Volvo models, which helps to improve efficiency and therefore range.

First 800-volt Volvo

Of course, the manufacturer is also taking measures on the drive side: the ES90 is the first Volvo to offer a battery with an 800-volt voltage level, which can improve charging, discharging performance and efficiency thanks to reduced current levels. Volvo specifies a range of up to 700  kilometers in the WLTP. With the appropriate charging infrastructure, enough electricity for a range of 300 km can be recharged in ten minutes. As the press release does not specify a SOC range for this, it is likely to be the range in which the battery can absorb the most power, usually somewhere between ten and 70 percent. From 10 to 80 percent, the battery should be chargeable in 20 minutes at best.

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Volvo ES90 Exterieur (7 Bilder)

In its basic configuration, the ES90 is a rear-wheel drive vehicle with 245 kW and 92 kWh of energy for a range of 650 km. As an all-wheel drive model, it offers 330 or 500 kW, then costs at least 89,000 or 94,490 euros base price and is then equipped with 106 kWh energy content. The weight is between 1991 and, 2127 kg.

Small luggage compartment for the class

The load volume is specified as 424 liters. This exceeds an Opel Astra five-door by two liters. However, the Opel is around 60  cm shorter, but of course, it is not a premium electric car. The shorter Mercedes-Benz EQE holds 430  liters, while the BMW i5 holds 490. 733  liters can be loaded up to the top edge of the front seats. The frunk holds 22  liters, which is suitable for things like the charging cable.

A large panoramic roof with UV protection of up to 99.9 percent can be shaded electrochromatically at the touch of a button in the most expensive equipment line. However, it does not offer an opening function in any configuration. The ES90 also offers four-zone automatic air conditioning and a cabin air filter that is said to trap up to 95 percent of PM 2.5 fine dust particles and 99.9 percent of most pollen.

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Volvo ES90 Interieur (10 Bilder)

Volvo's infotainment integrates the usual Google services as well as other apps on Google Play. The 5G-capable system is based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon Cockpit platform. A 9-inch driver display and a head-up display show driving and navigation information, while the 14.5-inch display on the dashboard allows navigation, infotainment, climate control, telephone and other functions to be operated. Three sound systems up to Bowers & Wilkins Hi-Fi with 25 separate loudspeakers and Dolby Atmos surround sound can be ordered.

“Software-Defined Vehicle”

As a software-defined vehicle, the Volvo ES90 should be able to be kept up to date with over-the-air updates in terms of performance and safety “over the entire life cycle of the vehicle”. The architecture is based on a dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin core computing configuration, as Volvo explains. The active safety systems use a lidar, five radars, seven cameras and twelve ultrasonic sensors to detect the environment. In addition to the usual sensor-supported driving functions, the ES90 should also be able to prevent the dreaded dooring of cyclists or pedestrians by carelessly opening doors.

The Volvo ES90 is now available to order in Germany and many other European countries.

(fpi)