Volvo Ireland is showing off the first right-hand drive version of its new EX90 electric SUV to arrive in Ireland this week, ahead of the the arrival of the first customer cars in July. The EX90 doesn’t quite replace the existing plug-in hybrid XC90, as that long-serving SUV will stay on sale for a little while yet, but clearly, the EX is the more future-focused car. It rides on a new all-electric platform called SPA2 (although Volvo has told us that from now on, its platforms will be defined less by stamped metal and more by the computing systems built into the car) and initially will come only in high-spec Ultra trim with a choice of two four-wheel drive versions.
Up to 517hp
Those versions will have either 408hp or 517hp, with the more powerful version boasting a 0-100km/h time of just 4.9 seconds - remarkable performance for a big SUV weighing close to three tonnes. The battery pack, 111hWh gross, 107kWh net, gives a one-charge range of up to 587km. Eventually, there will be a single-motor rear-drive model, for which Volvo has not yet given us a power output but which will use a slightly smaller 104kWh (gross) battery pack. Depending on the specification, that version should just about breach the 600km range mark. In four-wheel drive models, the front motor automatically decouples itself from the power so as to improve efficiency, which Volvo claims at 21.5kWh/100km. The big battery can be recharged at speeds of up to 250kW on DC power (allowing a 30-minute 10-80 per cent charge in the best conditions), or 11kW on AC power, with a likely upgrade to 22kW AC power in a forthcoming software update. Bi-directional charging comes as standard. Those software updates will be critical to the EX90, and Volvo claims that the updates—which are planned at rates of six to eight per year—will actually make the car better as it ages. The car’s computing system, developed by US tech firm NVIDIA, is said to be able to cope with 280 trillion operations per second. Volvo’s safety record with the existing XC90 was incredible - the firm reckons that no occupant of an XC90 has ever been killed in an accident - but the EX90 promises to extend that safety envelope - literally in part - with the new LIDAR system. LIDAR is combined laser and radar, and sitting in a hump incongruously mounted at the top of the EX90’s windscreen, it can scan and monitor the road for up to 200 metres ahead of the vehicle, picking out even dark objects against dark backgrounds at night, well beyond the limits of the car’s (impressive, LED, ‘Thor’s Hammer’ shaped) headlights.
Wool-blend trim
Inside, the cabin is minimalist but welcoming, with the option of wool-blend seat trim in place of the standard man-made leather. There’s a huge 14.5-inch touchscreen in the centre of the dash, using software similar to that deployed by the smaller EX30, but the bigger car has both a driver’s instrument screen and a heads-up display. The high-spec Ultra models come with a 25-speaker Bowers + Wilkins stereo that includes speakers built directly into the headrests. Google software is built-in to the EX90’s infotainment system, so that means you get native Google Assistant voice control, as well as Google Maps. The front of the cabin has generous stowage space, with storage areas in the console, the armrest, a well-sized glovebox, and large door bins. In the back, the EX90 comes with seven seats as standard. The three in the centre row adjust both for rake and fore-aft position, while those in the third row are sufficiently sized for all but the tallest adults. Boot space expands from 310 litres with all seats occupied to 650 litres with the third row folded to 1,910 litres with all back seats folded. An improvement over the XC90 is that there is space under the boot floor to stash the luggage cover when it’s not in use, and the EX90 also has a shallow ‘frunk’ in the nose which is large enough to hold both a charging cable and the tyre inflator kit. The EX90 also contains approximately 15 per cent of recycled steel, 25 per cent of recycled aluminium as well as 48kg of recycled plastics and bio-based materials, which corresponds to around 15 per cent of the total plastic used in the car - the highest level of any Volvo car to date.
More affordable models to come
Prices for the EX90 start from €117,910 for the 408hp all-wheel drive Ultra model, and the upgrade to the 517hp version costs €5,000. When it arrives, the rear-drive, smaller-battery model will also come with a lower, more affordable specification that should dip the EX90’s price tag below the €100,000 barrier. The car is already sold out in Ireland for this year, with all the deliveries due to start arriving in July spoken for, so any orders from here on out will be for 2025. Originally unveiled in Stockholm, this is the first time the EX90 has been showcased in Ireland.
“The Volvo EX90 is the start of a new era for Volvo Cars, one that is rich in safety, sustainability, and human centric technology.” Alan Cowley, Managing Director of Volvo Car Ireland said, speaking at the event. “We are thrilled to be showcasing our flagship SUV to motoring media this morning and look forward to seeing it on Irish roads later this year.”