Volvo has also equipped the ES90 with rapid 350kW charging that allows for 186 miles of range to be added in 10 minutes with the larger battery. To get from 10% battery capacity to 80% takes 20 minutes in this model. To be able to charge at faster speeds for longer than the 400V EX90 (which had a maximum charging output of 250kW), the ES90 gets an 800V electric architecture.
The ES90 follows the EX90 in being fitted with Volvo’s ‘Superset’ tech stack but is made more powerful still in its second application and given an additional Nvidia ‘Orin’ processor. Rather than have a series of individual ECUs to operate different components and functions, the ES90 uses twin central Nvidia Orin processors that can handle over 500 trillion operations per second.
This centralised approach, known as a software-defined vehicle, allows for faster and more efficient updates over time thanks to the blending of hardware and software modules.
The ES90 features the same dual-chamber air suspension and adaptive dampers from the EX90. Engineering boss Anders Bell said it would be a “very comfortable and calm” car to drive. The car is also said to have the “quietest ever cabin” in Volvo’s history.
The ES90 is a similar size as the likes of the BMW i5, Mercedes EQE and Lucid Air, at five metres long, just under two metres wide and just over 1.5 metres high. A long wheelbase of 3.1 metres allows for plenty of rear legroom and individually reclining rear seats, something that’s important in China which is a big market focus for the car.
