Volvo ES90 revealed: 800V beauty is midway between SUV, sedan and fastback

Volvo today revealed its new 800V ES90, based on the SPA2 architecture, which combines the ‘refined elegance of a sedan, the adaptability of a fastback, and the spacious, elevated seating of an SUV’. Here are the details…

Volvo ES90 800V SPA2 architecture

The Volvo ES90 represents another step change in Volvo’s electric vehicle ambitions. With an 800V SPA2 architecture, Volvo can now claim some of the world’s fastest EV charging times on 350kW chargers. The SPA 2 will also allow for blistering speed with up to a 3.9 second 0-60mph time.

ES90 efficiency king

The ES90 is also Volvo’s slipperiest car ever with a .25 Cd drag coefficient, which is impressive for a large sedan, especially one with Volvo badging. That means the ES90 also has amazing range which Volvo touts at 700km/430 miles in WLTP cycle which should be north of 350 miles in EPA parlance. The 102kWh of battery pushes the ES90 quite a bit farther than the 310 miles/107kWh of the boxier Volvo EX90.

Specs aren’t fully revealed yet, but the ones released so far we like:

• 800V Architecture means 350kW charging and going from 10-80% charge in about 20 mins
• 106 kWh/102kWh usable battery in AWD versions, 96kWh/92kWh usable for RWD
• At WLTP 430 miles of total range, that means about 300 WLTP miles of range in 20 mins. Or 180 miles in 10 minutes 
• Hardware-ready for bi-directional charging, software not ready at launch.
• Core computing system with a dual NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Orin configuration
• 25 high-fidelity speakers from Bower & Wilkins delivering 1,610 watts–supporting immersive Dolby Atmos audio, and a special Abbey Road Studios Mode
• Drag coefficient(Cd) of 0.25–the best ever in Volvo Cars’ history and a competitive figure for a large sedan.
• Digital Key Plus allowing easy access to your car with Phone, Apple Watch or Android phone
• As with all Volvos, top speed 112mph
• Max. trailer weight,(RWD/AWD) 3527 / 4409 lb
• Seven exterior colors and four wheel options that vary from 20 to22 inches in size
• 22 liter/6 gallon Frunk – good for small items like charging cables
• Launch countries: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland,France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain,Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom

Twin Motor Performance (all-wheel drive)

• Total power 500kW/670hp
• Total torque 635 lb-ft
• Acceleration 0–60 mph 3.9 secs

Twin Motor (all-wheel drive)

• Total power 330kW/442hp
• Total torque 495 lb-ft
• Acceleration 0–60 mph 5.3 secs

Single Motor (rear-wheel drive)

• Total power 245kW/329hp
• Total torque 354 lb-ft
• Acceleration 0–60 mph 6.7 secs

Volvo ES90 Exterior images:

Volvo ES90 Interior Images:

Electrek’s take

As someone who is looking for a replacement for my Tesla Model Y, I like this thing a lot. The 800V charging and 10 minutes to 180 miles of range charging is going to be an upgrade. The self driving and safety I expect to be good but probably not nearly as robust, at least at launch, as Tesla’s FSD.

While prices weren’t released, I would expect this to start in the $5x,000 range for the RWD version, $6x,000 for all wheel and $7x,000 for the performance version. I’m a little bit sad there isn’t a 3rd row and that frunk is too small to be useful.

Overall however, I just love the look and size of this thing and thing with its impressive range, ample storage, and impressive power will make a great family/trip car. I can’t wait to learn more!