Here at The Autopian, we’ve been eagerly looking forward to the Volvo ES90. Launching a new electric sedan in an age when sedans are still losing popularity and the future of electric vehicles is looking more and more like a share of the market rather than nearly all of it seems wild, but we’re thrilled by the concept. So how about the reality? Well, a seemingly official photo has surfaced ahead of the sedan’s debut, and on first glance, doesn’t it look a bit bulky?
This leak does appear to be an official Volvo press photo, as we’ve seen this virtual set and color grading before in other official Volvo press photos. Indeed, the background seems identical to the one shown in ES90 teaser photos, and given that the car in the teaser photos is also silver, this certainly seems to be it.
Let’s start under the skin. Volvo claims that an ES90 with the 106 kWh battery pack and dual-motor all-wheel-drive can go 435 miles of range on the optimistic WLTP cycle, or about 15 miles further than a dual-motor all-wheel-drive Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 4Matic. Considering that EQS manages 367 miles of range on the EPA testing cycle, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Volvo ES90 ends up being one of the longest-range EVs in America. What’s more, its 800-volt architecture means it can DC fast charge at up to 350 kW, meaning owners shouldn’t be waiting ages to juice up that big battery pack on road trips.
However, we need to talk about the styling of the ES90. Volvo’s mid-2010s reinvention saw the adoption of classically elegant styling and proportions, and although the ES90’s surfacing is fairly conservative but current standards, the car itself looks quite tall, especially compared to Volvo’s other big sedan, the incredibly handsome S90. So what gives? Well, although some automakers have flagship electric sedans that look lower, some of them come with compromises due to battery pack height. Take the Genesis Electrified G80, for example. It has a classically elegant silhouette, but the tradeoff is a high floor with little to no step-down from the sill, which limits headroom and may be part of the reason why you can’t get an electric G80 with a sunroof.
In contrast, it seems that Volvo’s attempting to hide the ES90’s battery pack with plastic cladding, which comes with the tradeoff of making this sedan appear a bit like an SUV that’s trying to fit in. It’s also worth noting that the ES90 rides on the same SPA2 platform as the EX90 crossover and the Polestar 3, both of which have fairly tall firewalls. If that’s a common module, it might help explain why there seems to be so much metal between the sill of the ES90 and the greenhouse.
Of course, it also probably doesn’t help that the Lidar unit on the roof sits like a taxi sign, although that fancy sensor promises to unlock a future world of more advanced autonomous driving than cameras and radar sensors can achieve alone. See, Volvo’s fitted the ES90 with something called its Superset tech stack, which includes two Nvidia Drive AGX Orin boards, capable of 508 trillion operations per second. That’s some serious computing power, although it does make you wonder about what it may cost to repair this system down the road should anything go wrong. On the plus side, Volvo seems to be using it responsibly, not making grand promises of high-level SAE automation but instead claiming it can enhance the efficacy of driver assistance.
However, the ADAS suite seems positively normal compared to the fact that the ES90’s battery pack is on the blockchain. That sounds dumb at first, but it’s Volvo’s way of keeping track of where the battery materials come from, along with its manufacturing footprint. There’s more feel-good to the ES90 too. A solid 29 percent of the aluminum, 16 percent of the polymers, and 18 percent of the steel in its construction is recycled.
Of course, there’s a whole lot of the ES90 we haven’t seen yet. For instance, I have a feeling that the interior will be gorgeous in Volvo tradition, but just how gorgeous is a question that’ll be answered on Wednesday. The Swedish car brand is properly unveiling the ES90 on March 5, and we’ll be watching closely.
Top graphic credit: Volvo
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Isn’t steel 100% recyclable? Why is only 18% sourced from recycled steel?
They’ll never actually sell it in America. Maybe they’re saying they will, but like the ID7, it’ll magically turn Europe-only.
Oh hey another polestar, I mean Volvo. Classy.
I think it looks great! It would look even better if it was a wagon.
How sexy would this be if that black plastic cladding went all the way up to the beltline. And maybe Volvo could offer it with fun accessories like a tent that attaches to the rear end.
As a 6’3” person with long legs, I think I prefer Volvo’s approach of raising the entire cabin. It doesn’t look as long and lean, but what else can they do unless they abandon the benefits of skateboard-style battery packaging?
Despite my moderate height, I never had any issues riding in the back of sedans. From my parents Honda Civic, to my friends SAAB 9-3 or Kia Forte ride shares- They all seemed plenty spacious, even for long drives. The Tesla Model 3 on the other hand, put my knees up to my elbows.
Though I appreciate a low and sexy car like anyone else, slapping the battery pack where passenger’s feet previously occupied and calling it a day isn’t a sustainable solution.
The S & V90 were incredibly attractive and well-proportioned ICE vehicles. It’s going to be difficult for Volvo to follow them up stylistically with a proper EV until battery density improves. Maybe car makers can sacrifice center of gravity slightly, and shift a few rows of cells out from under passenger’s feet and under the bench?
Ultimately, taste is relative to what we associate with performance and practicality. Battery packaging and aerodynamics are going to push all the most fit-for purpose electric vehicles towards a sleek and low (but not too low) asthetic.
I guess I like it, but it looks gigantic and the press photos being shot from ground level (as usual) don’t help.
No! No! This makes no sense at all! You won’t break me! The battery pack composition and footprint can be in a regular database! A database! We don’t need decentralized consensus when there is a source of truth! Volvo!
The question is if the polestar 3 is the top of the line they are say it is. Or is the ex90 the secret top of the range in many markets. Nice looking car that does a lot well but will be eye watering over priced.
I tapped out at “blockchain.”
“However, the ADAS suite seems positively normal compared to the fact that the ES90’s battery pack is on the blockchain. That sounds dumb at first…”
…and second, and third, and…
I am so confused why Polestar exists with so many Volvo EVs now and in the pipeline.
It’s even more of a head scratcher when you look at all the other geely brands. They need to make polestar the economy Volvo if they want that much for Volvo. Not sure who is going to go yeah let me pay $10k more for an already over priced Volvo for it to be a polestar.
Yeah as confused as I am, it seems they are even more so. I really hope they figure it out and can be successful, but man Volvo is dropping fast from my perspective. Which is a shame, I love even most of the current cars, but the future is not looking promising.
If they don’t do something soon the dealers will probably say enough and move on. They are getting lots of promises now. I really expected more from geely. The whole thing is mismanaged
Polestar was the performance Volvo.
That’s what it should be again – up against AMG, M, RS, etc.
Historically Polestar was the performance arm of the two. Similar to an AMG when they were separate from Mercedes-Benz. That is the Polestar I want back. Currently there is little in the way of performance differentiation.
Polestar was never going to be ‘EV Volvo’. Volvo made its own EV plans very clear from the outset. Polestar is basically the Pontiac to Volvo’s Buick. Hard to say how long Geely is going to let that fly.
But see Buick and Pontiac had clear differences. One was the entry level luxury car, and one had sporty intentions. They also looked very different. And yet even with that, there wasn’t enough of a business case for both to exist in the end! These are very obviously styled by the same team and there’s just not enough difference, and if there’s not room for both Pontiac and Buick, there certainly doesn’t seem to be room for Polestar and Volvo, especially when I legitimately don’t know what the real difference is supposed to be.
I don’t think I follow that—the Polestar 2 did look very Volvo because like the 1 it was based on a Volvo concept, but if you look at the new models like the 3, 4, and 5 they have a vastly distinct style from the ‘Thor’s Hammer’ Volvos with a different design language and much more of an emphasis on sportiness rather than comfort. Polestar’s upcoming flagship 5 doesn’t look much like this ES90.
https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/JOxjkQ/s1/polestar-5.jpg
I mean, the Polestar 3 and Volvo EX90 are platform-mates but the 3 is a 5-seater iX rival while the EX90 is a 3-row EQS rival. For whatever it’s worth, Volvo and Polestar debatably have more brand differentiation than Hyundai and Kia but again, we’ll see if Geely cares to keep that going.
IDK, looking at both brand’s future products there’s a definite vibe between them both. Polestar’s 5 GT sedan definitely is an unapologetic competitor to the Taycan, whereas this ES90 will have nothing in common with the 5 except for maybe overall vehicle length and target a buyer that prioritizes efficiency and understated elegance over performance. Same could be said for the upcoming Polestar 4 vs upcoming EX60. Also the Polestar 6 when released will truly be one of a kind in the marketplace (an EV convertible?!).
Is it a liftback?
The side profile would make me think yes, but the rear view makes me question if it’s a liftback or they just installed a mail slot on the back.
I get it, I get it. We are trying to make all cars self driving. Can someone explain why it is ONLY electric vehicles??? I can control an ICE just as well and easily as an EV.
I wonder how much cheaper this would be if it did not have any of that stuff?
It would be the same exact price, if not more, because late-stage Capitalism.
Exactly where I was going. Then, why isn’t this happening?? Why only EV’s?????
Why did Polestar and Volvo split if they’re both going to continue to make the same cars? This looks like a Polestar 2 that swallowed an air hose…but it’s probably going to be a six figure luxury proposition. Why would the kind of clientele they’re trying to woo buy something that looks like a sedan you can pick up used in the 20s right now? Hell there are some within 200 miles of me listed in the teens…
I don’t get it. Volvo actually makes some very elegant EVs. Our neighbors just got an EX90 and I stop and gawk at it pretty much every morning. I’m not sure why they went and borked this one unless their main focus with it is trying to appeal to the Chinese markets’ insatiable thirst for hideous cars…
It really seems like Geely doesn’t understand the western markets they are in with Volvo and polestar. They are launching the geely brand in Australia. A $30k BEV crossover thing. Seems like the kind of thing that would sell well globally. But yes the geely thought process seems to be Volvo was a fancy car in China so let’s try to make it a luxury brand the world over.
From where I sit – the proportions are in line with the Volvo 240 – and the black cladding is in line with the later versions black paint and cladding.
The big issue is that the styling of the 240 is blocky and upright – so the overall impression makes sense. Whereas here, the swept back roofline makes us expect a lower, sleeker body – yet it’s atop an upright lower body, making the impression one of ungainliness.
Perhaps if Volvo had run a belt line moulding around the car midway between the fender openings and their tops – as the 140/240 did – that would have divided up the sides, giving us better bodyside proportions.
Is it bigger than the Polestar 2? The Polestar 3 doesn’t seem bigger, so the picture really looks like a Polestar2 with new lights in the rear window and a Volvo logo.
Most importantly, when does the wagon arrive?
Looks bigger than the Polestar 2. The windows, specially the rear windows, indicate that it is longer. The PS2 is 180″, the outgoing S90 is 200″.
FTFY
So by that logic, is Jaguar and Land Rover Indian companies? Is Chrysler and Dodge French Italians, Is Aston Martin Saudi, Is Rolls Royce & Bentley German?
Jaguar and Land Rover are Indian.
Chrysler and Dodge are Italian, not French, as FCA bought Peugeot.
The Saudis own only a small minority stake in Aston Martin.
Rolls and Bentley are definitely German.
There is also a difference between merely being headquartered somewhere and being a subsidiary of a state-owned corporation. Volvo is Chinese because the Chinese government owns and control it, even if indirectly.
So was Volvo an American company when they were owned by Ford?
Sure, why not
No longer Swedish, and wow can you tell.
If Chinese cars look like this, GM & Ford have nothing to worry about.
Well considering one of them no longer builds any sedans….
…and the other only builds sedans for their top brand – but nobody buys them anyway.
It’s an ungainly sedan, but those proportions could lead to a gorgeous Cross Country EV wagon.
Looks very much like the Polestar 2’s big brother, which begs the question why isn’t it a Polestar? Or the 2 a Volvo?