- The Volvo ES90 won’t just be a sedan version of the EX90 SUV.
- It’ll come with a next-generation 800-volt architecture, which should make it a range and charging monster.
- Volvo says it’ll charge from 10-80% in 20 minutes and go over 400 miles on a charge.
I was ready to write off the Volvo ES90 as a sedan version of the EX90, cool but not fundamentally new. Well, I was wrong. Volvo’s second ES90 teaser just revealed some new specs, and it looks like the sedan will get one major upgrade over the EX90. The ES90 runs on a new, sophisticated electric architecture, making it a total range and charging monster.
The ES90 will go 435 miles (700 km) on a charge on the WLTP test cycle. Sure, that cycle tends to be more optimistic than America’s EPA cycle, but the EX90 SUV only goes 382 miles (614 km) on the same cycle. For reference, the U.S.-spec EX90 can go up to 310 miles on a charge, per the EPA, so you can see that there’s a big discrepancy. Yet, range isn’t even the big deal here.
7
Volvo
Volvo also announced the the ES90 will use an 800-volt electric architecture. Most EVs today operate around 400 volts. The Porsche Taycan, Tesla Cybertruck, Lucid Air, and just about every Hyundai/Kia/Genesis EV (except the Kona and Niro) use 800-volt-class or above systems, and if you know anything about those cars, you know why that’s important. An 800-volt architecture allows for higher charging speeds without needing crazy amperage, which would require far thicker wires. So these cars are all charging monsters, with some charging from 10-80% in under 20 minutes.
The ES90 will be similar. Volvo says it’ll charge at up to 350 kW, which is high even for an 800-volt system. Hyundai’s EVs, for instance, usually peak around 225 kW. Yet Volvo is quoting a slightly slower 10-80 time than we see from Hyundai, Kia and Genesis vehicles. The company claims the ES90 will go from 10-80% in 20 minutes. While that’s nothing new for an 800-volt vehicle, it’s far faster than 400-volt-class luxury vehicles from Mercedes, BMW, Tesla, Cadillac and others.
The switch to an 800-volt system has also allowed Volvo to save weight, as the lower current requirements for 800-volt systems mean you can use thinner wiring and lighter electric motors. Combined with the reduced heat losses of an 800-volt system, these advantages make 800-volt systems more efficient on average, too.
But how far Volvo has come here remains to be seen. We don’t know how big the ES90’s battery will be, nor how it will perform on the EPA cycle. Yet it’s still exciting to see Volvo push the ball forward. The company needs a win, as delays and a less-than-finished product dampened some of the enthusiasm for the EX90, while the affordable version of the EX30 was a victim of the 100% tariff on China-built EVs. U.S. customers may not care about sedans too much these days, but the ES90 represents a chance for Volvo to prove it’s a leader in EV tech. This is an early indication that the company may pull that off. But to know for sure, we’ll have to wait for the full reveal of the ES90 on March 3.
Contact the author: [email protected].
